“It is a false performance, a misman.” With frowned eyebrows and a shaking head, a resident from Nieuw-Vennep addresses an official during the information meeting. “I have been living here for twenty years, and now a Kwak Yuppen comes to live in our village and suddenly everything has to be done differently. That way little remains of the village.”
Although the meeting is mostly calm, the emotions run high for many local residents of the Pioneer Bolsterrein in Nieuw-Vennep. 2000 new homes must be built on that site, of which 600 social rental homes. The municipality wants to connect the old business park to the surrounding residential areas.
Green neighborhood without cars
The new residents have cars, and there must be room for that, alderman Marja Ruigrok explains to local residents. “We have devised Mobility Hubs for this, who have to offer enough space for the entire neighborhood. We want to reduce the number of cars in the streets and the environment is actually greening.”
That may sound positive, but many local residents are worried about the influx of cars that will take their parking spaces. A residents’ committee, specially established for this issue, has investigated that the shortage of parking spaces can be as high as 800 places – and perhaps even more.
Text continues under the photo