The Municipality of Overbetuwe is working on business parks that are ready for the future. There will be more space for medium-sized SMEs. These are companies with 10 to 250 employees. They are important for the local economy and for employment.
To better utilize that space, the municipality is making a plan. This plan will look at how existing locations can be used more intelligently and how old plots of land can be redeveloped.
No new small business units for now
As a first step, the municipal council has decided that no new small-scale business units will be allowed on business parks for the time being. This is to better align the available space with the needs of entrepreneurs who want to grow.
More employment, better use of space
The municipality is working on a new version of the Environmental Vision (Course Document 2025). It states that we will provide extra support to medium-sized SMEs. These companies are strongly connected to the region. They provide stable jobs and contribute to the local economy.
Councilor for Economic Affairs Karel Grimm:
“There is little space on our business parks. We want to use it smartly so that more jobs are created and our economy remains strong. Medium-sized SMEs play a key role in this. With this course (this plan), we help them move forward.”
Growth of small units under scrutiny
In the Netherlands – and also in Overbetuwe – more and more small-scale business units, garage boxes, and collective buildings are appearing on business parks. Local research (2023) shows that this development takes up a lot of space, while the contribution to employment is limited.
Moreover, it appears that there is an increased risk of unwanted or difficult-to-control activities at locations with small-scale business units. This is because there is often less visibility into what exactly is happening.
To better manage this, the municipality is imposing a temporary ban on the establishment of new small-scale business units up to 200 m². This provides space to carefully prepare new policies and to prevent business parks from being divided into smaller and smaller pieces.
Future plan in the making
The municipality is working on a plan to better utilize business parks. This includes looking at:
- intensifying the use of existing plots
- redeveloping outdated business locations,
- using open or unused spaces on existing business parks.
Once this plan is ready, the rules for new business space on business parks will be definitively adjusted.
