Ruud and Nicole were bought out for a lot of money for a road that never came.
Ruud and Nicole were bought out for a lot of money for a road that never came.
If they want to go on vacation, they just go. Pack bags and they're gone. Ruud and Nicole Ides have been living a free life since the municipality of Amersfoort went deep into buying out their restaurant to build a bypass five years ago. Only: that new path never came. “I won't say out loud what I thought at the time...”
Artwin Kreekel 13-07-24, 13:00 Last updated: 13-07-24, 16:50
They've just returned from a wonderful trip a few weeks ago. Sri Lanka was the destination this time. “We had a blast, what a country,” says Ruud at the kitchen table of their detached house in the outskirts of Leusden. “It really tasted like more.”
And why not? Ruud and Nicole have plenty of time for it, since they last closed the door behind them from De Vlasakkers in 2019. And the bank balance? It can have that too. Thanks to the municipality of Amersfoort. But more about that later.
Every time, something happened to the bypass, making us think: we'll see...
Nicole Ides, former owner of De Vlasakkers
Because this story starts years earlier. In 1996, to be exact. “I come from a hospitality family, and it was always my dream to start my own business,” says Ruud. “That year, I got a call from my brother. He had bought a building in Amersfoort and wondered if it wouldn't be something for us.”
Ruud and Nicole still live in Almere, so they have no idea what they find at Barchman Wuytierslaan number 200. It turns out to be a wooden shed named 'Adje Patat'. “A great start, but we wanted to sell more than just fries and croquettes.” So three years later, the couple transformed the shed into a stone building with three times as much space. Another ten years later, the building will be renovated again and will have the conservatory that will make it famous in the years that follow.
All this time, a term has come up in the shop or in the newspaper: 'the west tangent'. A future road of about one and a half kilometers that should relieve the hustle and bustle on other roads on the west side of the city. And that should increase safety on Barchman Wuytierslaan, because the railway crossing that dozens of intercities rush across to Amersfoort Central Station every day must be replaced by a tunnel.
“Since we bought the property, I think the municipality has contacted us three times,” says Nicole. “Every time, they wanted to talk about the plans for the road and our role in it, because it quickly became clear that our restaurant should make way for that.” But every time, there was a hitch at the town hall. “Yet another investigation, yet new drawings... At one point, we thought: we'll see.”
“Now things can get serious...”
And then it will be 2016. Once again, the western bypass comes on the table. Ruud quickly realized that it is different from previous times. “There was now money from the province, and the plans were already so well thought out that I thought: now it could get serious.” And that's what it will be. But the couple has no intention of leaving just like that. “On a busy day, up to 1,200 guests came by, business was going well. Why should I just give that up?”
Ruud and Nicole hire an expert, who ultimately comes to a buy-out with the town hall. On August 13, 2019 is the time. De Vlasakkers is running its last day. “We had to disappoint countless people because we were completely full,” says Nicole. “Over the years, we had built up an enormous customer base. Regular guests from the Bergkwartier, and those who went to the Zoo, often came to us for fries or ice cream.”
With a heavy heart, the couple turns the key in the lock for the last time. “It's still a wound that you have to close a business that's running so well,” says Ruud. That wound will be ripped open again when it hits on Saturday, July 2, 2022 AD Amersfoortse Courant opens. “Strike through a plan around the road” is written on the front page in cow letters. And then: 'The plan for the western bypass in Amersfoort (cost: at least 87 million euros) will definitely go into the trash. The new city council considers the construction financially unfeasible. '
Ruud doesn't know where to look for it for a while. “I won't say out loud what I thought at the time. But I can't say I'm surprised. We have experienced so much with the town hall over the years. I've sometimes thought: put a bunch of entrepreneurs there instead of officials, and you should see how quickly decisions are made. In politics, everything takes so long, no wonder everything is getting more expensive in the meantime.”
Everyone knows: the new traffic plan would never have seen the light of day if pipes had not already been laid or trees had been cut for the bypass.
Ruud Ides, former owner of De Vlasakkers
On the other hand, the couple does not understand that the mega project has been shot down. “I had my head on top of it for over twenty years and can say: it was always a tragedy with traffic there,” says Nicole. “Not to mention the unsafe situation at the railway crossing. The number of times I've seen it go just fine there with cyclists who still thought they could dive under a railway tree can't be counted on one hand.”
The fact that their 'child' fell prey to the wrecker for nothing hurts anyway. However, for nothing: to replace the western bypass, the municipality of Amersfoort is now going to make a number of road adjustments, which De Vlasakkers should also have made way for. “But everyone knows: that plan (worth another 25 million euros, ed.) would never have seen the light of day if pipes had not already been laid or trees cut for the bypass,” says Ruud.
One question remains like an elephant in Ruud and Nicole's living room so far: how much did they get for their successful business? Ruud hesitates for a moment and says. “I understand your question, but we have contractually stipulated that neither we nor the municipality of Amersfoort may disclose the purchase amount. If I tell you that now, I'll get into trouble, and I don't want that. Plus: I don't think it's important.”
Because no matter how much money it concerns, what they do with it is more important to Ruud and Nicole. Of course: they bought a boat and are going on a good vacation (“we haven't done it all these years, we were always at work”). But it's also invested in homes, which the couple now rents out. “We've already been able to help three of our former employees,” says Ruud. “The market is so crazy, if you're looking for a spot now without the intervention of a lender, you just won't get there.”
Those former employees lacked nothing anyway. A few weeks after the wrecking ball went through De Vlasakkers, Nicole and Ruud boarded a plane to Florida with thirteen permanent employees to board a huge cruise boat. “We had a team of loyal men and women who worked very hard for us all these years,” says Nicole. “Great that you then have the opportunity to give something back.”
The Vlasakkers are not out of their hearts. And that will never happen. Nicole steps off the table, walks to the kitchen and comes back with a painted version of the restaurant's facade. “Made by a regular customer, and given to us on the last day. Fantastic, isn't it? When we walk through the city, there is always someone who asks us: are you going to start a restaurant again? No, that time is over. But the fact that that time ended like this is a shame.”
Councillor Tyas Bijlholt (D66, Traffic): 'Must be very sour for Ruud and Nicole'
”I understand that it must be very sour for Ruud and Nicole that they sold their restaurant for a road that never came,” says Tyas Bijlholt. The D66'there has been a traffic alderman since 2022 and is therefore responsible for the western bypass. At his suggestion, among other things, he drew a line through the megaproject when he took office.
“Of course, the intention was to build the bypass at the time, and I understand that they sold their company in that knowledge. But,” he says, “it's also the good thing about democracy that we can sometimes review decisions made in the past, and not blindly go on with a project that would no longer fit in with the current zeitgeist.”
He disputes that the new “cycling plan” is a piece of cake for shooting off the bypass. Out of this costing 15 to 25 million euros plan, in fact, all measures were achieved for the car, and the improvements remained for cyclists (with a number of adjustments). There will also be a tunnel under the railway at De Kabouterhut pancake house, but only for cyclists and emergency services. Cars will soon still have to wait here for the train to pass by.
The purchase of De Vlasakkers was not in vain.
Tyas Bijholt, Councillor for Traffic
“I think if the western bypass had never been discussed, we would still have done something to promote safety for cyclists and pedestrians. And with that, the purchase of De Vlasakkers was not in vain.” By the way, Bijlholt also does not want to say what amount was involved. “As Ruud and Nicole also point out, that's how it was agreed.”
The alderman hopes to “put the first part of the new bicycle plan on the market” early next year. “The second part requires a change of destination, which takes a little more time. Not decades, I hope.”
.avif)