PingProperties and ROC Rijn IJssel obtain irrevocable environmental permit

24-02-2020

The environmental permit for ROC Rijn IJssel to develop a new campus at Velperweg 76 in Arnhem has now become irrevocable, and so building work can now get underway. A sustainable campus will be developed on the site, where various clusters will be grouped together at a central location. The construction of the campus is part of a large-scale urban redevelopment of the former monofunctional AkzoNobel/ENKA site into a multifunctional area combining homes, work and education. The ROC Rijn IJssel campus is expected to be fully operational after the summer of 2021 and is being developed in close collaboration with PingProperties.

New lessee
Now that the environmental permit has been obtained, the lease between PingProperties and ROC Rijn IJssel will also definitively come into effect. ROC Rijn IJssel will be leasing 15,000 m2 LFA for a period of 30 years. Part of the deal includes the sale to ROC Rijn IJssel of two smaller buildings located along Vosdijk. Ownership of these buildings was recently transferred to ROC Rijn IJssel, which will also take over their management.

ROC Rijn IJssel campus
The ROC will move into the buildings at Velperweg 76 in Arnhem, where Akzo Nobel will also be remaining for the long term. The spaces in the buildings will be renovated from the end of this year onwards, the aim being to accommodate the central staff functions and an educational cluster for the Creative Industries. The buildings consist of former laboratories and offices of Akzo Nobel, including the characteristic Witte Villa which used to serve as the chemicals giant’s head office. The educational cluster for Technology and ICT will be housed in the buildings along Vosdijk.

Urban redevelopment as a multifunctional area
The former Akzo site, located at Velperweg 76 in Arnhem, has been owned by PingProperties since 2012. The industrial site covers 13.1 hectares with approx. 70,000 m² of office and laboratory buildings and around 850 parking spaces. Until recently the area had purely a work function. In 2017 PingProperties sold 5 hectares of land to the KlokGroep/BPD consortium to develop a residential neighbourhood providing a high-quality living environment. An educational function is being added with the arrival of ROC Rijn IJssel. The future of the area is one where homes, work and education all co-exist. Last year a start was made on another part of the site with the redevelopment of a vacant building to become the international head office of the chemicals giant Teijin Aramid.