Municipality of Dordrecht and Albert Schweitzer hospital select AM as partner for development of Dor

Dordrecht town council and the Albert Schweitzer hospital have chosen property developer AM Vastgoed as their preferred partner for the development of the new Dordwijk Health Park (Gezondheidspark). The Park will cover approximately 100,000 m2 and will incorporate a range of cohesive functions (healthcare, sport, commercial activities, housing and parking). The development will require investment totalling approximately €250 million; AM’s share of this will be approximately €100 million.

The municipality, the hospital and AM are currently working out the detail of a development contract, which they hope to sign in the near future. If all goes to plan, construction could begin this year.

The future Dordwijk Health Park is located on the N3 trunk road and will provide a key concentration of amenities for the town of Dordrecht and the surrounding region. The decision to develop the Park was prompted by the fact that the main users of the Dordwijk district, namely the Albert Schweitzer hospital and the sports sector, wish to raise the quality of their facilities jointly rather than separately in a bid to create synergy. This will enable a broader and more differentiated package of betterquality services to be provided. The area will be transformed into a ´health park´ in which healthcare facilities will be combined with sports, leisure and commercial amenities. Embedding these functions in a ‘healing environment’ will increase the cohesion between them and raise their profile.

Mutually reinforcing functions
In the next few years, investments will be ploughed into creating a completely new infrastructure for the area, enlarging the hospital and replacing the present sports facilities. In the zone between the sports facilities and the hospital, a new development will be created with a gross floor area of approximately 100,000 m2, incorporating housing, shops, offices, hospital functions, commercial and public healthcare functions and parking facilities. Cohesion and synergy between the various functions will be the core theme when developing the area. In addition to the existing ice rink,
swimming pool and sports hall, there will be a new fitness centre and racquet-sport complex. The municipal health service (GGD) and the police will also have their headquarters in the Park.

Selection
Selection of the partner for the development of the Health Park was based on a competition organised between a number of major national project developers. The municipal council and the hospital felt that AM Vastgoed set itself apart from the competition through its conceptual ability as reflected in the physical and economic strength of its designs drawn up by its in-house design bureau T+T Design, its
financial strength and wide experience in the development of commercial and residential property, its expertise in integrated area management and the execution of land development projects through its own property company.

As explained during the presentation of its annual figures on 4 March 2004, AM’s strategy is focused among other things on exploiting and reinforcing internal cooperation in area development projects.

Source: AM N.V.

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