The Eindhoven municipal council has given its final approval for ASML to expand. The “ASML Campus” could be the biggest industrial growth plan the Netherlands has seen in years.
According to Omroep Brabant, Eindhoven’s municipal council cast their votes on Tuesday evening.
While 35 councillors voted in favour of changing Eindhoven’s zoning plan, a measly six voted against.
As the final bureaucratic hurdle for the chip equipment manufacturer’s expansion, the vote also approved plans to reroute nearby roads to accommodate the new campus.
For the handful of landowners who have refused to sell their plots to the municipality, the council has now authorised legal proceedings to force a sale.
All roads lead to ASML
ASML, the largest supplier of photolithography machines in the world, is currently headquartered in Veldhoven, the neighbouring municipality of Eindhoven.
The company now wants to establish a second major base on the Brainport Industries Campus (BIC), close to Eindhoven Airport, to build new cleanrooms and office space there.
The timeline is tight. ASML wants construction to begin as early as this month. The first building on the campus plans to welcome 5,000 employees by early 2028.
Eventually, around 20,000 ASML employees are expected to work from the Eindhoven campus. This would double the company’s current workforce in the region.
Growth comes at a cost
Expansion needs land ownership. That can be a problem.
Six of the nine landowners the municipality needs land from have already sold up.
One of them was the owner of the “lonely house,” a detached home sitting in the middle of the planned campus site, for which the municipality paid over €1 million.
The house will later be demolished.
A family member of the owner of the “lonely house” reached out to Omroep Brabant through LinkedIn.
“As a private owner, you quickly find yourself sidelined. The communication feels impersonal, bureaucratic, and under noticeable pressure,” they write.
Other landowners in the area have also voiced similar frustrations. Yet, the council has now authorised the municipality to pursue forced expropriation through the courts.
Not everyone on the council is happy
Socialistische Partij (Socialist Party) councillor Jannie Visscher explained her opposing vote bluntly.
“A positive ASML decision will lead to unprecedented growth in our region. The SP doesn’t want this to be at the expense of current residents,” she tells Omroep Brabant.
The VVD (the centre-right party) was sceptical, but ultimately voted in favour of ASML’s expansion. Councillor Ceciel van Bergeijk cited the economic stakes as too important to vote otherwise.
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