Veldhoven, a tidy small town in the Netherlands’ industrial heartland, has a zoo, a climbing park and, more recently, a brewing controversy over plans by ASML Holding NV to expand its headquarters.
Local activists and politicians are concerned the semiconductor company is growing too big, too fast. While the equipment maker says it is addressing complaints that range from glaring office lights to making a housing squeeze worse, a key vote in December on permission to increase capacity – normally a mere rubber stamp – now hangs in the balance.
