Municipality of Bergen op Zoom and ERA Contour sign purchase agreement for start of De Soete Veste residential project

De Soete Veste enriches Bergen op Zoom with 65 sustainable homes inspired by 18th-century canal architecture

The municipality of Bergen op Zoom and TBI company ERA Contour signed the purchase agreement for the new construction project De Soete Veste on February 18, 2019. The signing marks the next step in the development and realization of the housing plan that is part of the area development ScheldeVesting. A total of 65 sustainable owner-occupied homes will be built in the Soete Veste. The houses are inspired by the canal architecture from the 18^e century and come along the waters of the Zoom and along the quays of the fortress.

View of the Cologne Quay from the new bridge leading to the historic building 'Groot Arsenaal'

Bergen op Zoom City Councilor Patrick van der Velden is excited about ERA Contour's new project. "Scheldevesting is taking more and more shape. De Soete Veste not only sounds very pleasant, it will be a place where many Bergen residents, as well as non-Bergen residents, would like to live. The water is within easy reach and within walking distance of our burgundian city center. Peace, space and experience go hand in hand here."

"With great pleasure and full of pride, we have had the opportunity to work on De Nieuwe Kaai over the past few years. We are currently working on our second project in Bergen op Zoom: Wonen aan de Ham. And it feels like enormous appreciation that we are now also allowed to start work on the Soete Veste," says Job van Zomeren, statutory director at ERA Contour.

From the peripheral road: corner Colognekaai - Melassekaai, with the Ham on the left and downtown as an extension of it

Historic canal architecture unites with gas-free living
The Soete Veste houses 65 ground-level single-family homes inspired by the 18^e-century canal architecture. The variation in different types of characteristic and detailed elements create a special appearance. ERA Contour is building part of the single-family homes on the edge of the city where the defensive walls once ran. Another part will be built on the new quay walls and on the water of the Zoom, which will be brought back to the area. Although the single-family homes in the Soete Veste have a historic look, with an EPC of 0, they are completely geared toward sustainable living. For example, all homes are gasless and equipped with solar panels and a heat pump, making them very energy efficient.

Start sales in fall 2019
Sales of the homes in the Soete Veste are expected to start in the fall of 2019. Once 70 percent of the homes are sold, ERA Contour will start construction. This is expected to take place in early 2020. More information about the project can be found at www.desoeteveste.nl.