State Secretary Gijs Tuinman of Defense says he is enthusiastic about the idea of using the new training ground De Haar Multifunctional. He may even want to start a national pilot there.
Several political parties in The Hague called on the director to seriously examine the co -use after residents from Smilde, Laaghalen and Laaghalerveen came up with the idea of combining various social functions. The hope is that if defense starts practicing on agricultural land, less land has to be gave up and the area will be hit less hard.
The State Secretary wants to start an experiment in the short term. According to him, that is possible in three places: the Weerterheide, at the Spiekweg in Zeewolde or at the hair. “But the neighborhood at De Haar did take my hand to me to do that with me.”
No matter how enthusiastic gardener is about the plan, he immediately temperes expectations. “I often hear: but the Germans do that too and we used to do that too. But that was slightly different.”
Tuinman also emphasized that a combination of a training ground with agricultural land is more difficult than a combination of a training ground with a nature reserve. “Defense and getting nature objectives are a good marriage. Multifunctional use with agricultural land is more difficult to fit. I am really enthusiastic about it, but the military need must ultimately be guaranteed.”
According to Tuinman, the question of the neighborhood is a switch for defense, but he will investigate further. “Practice areas are now or in a practice village, or in nature and that is not necessarily where the conflicts are. That can also be in the polder or in an agricultural environment,” he explains. “We have to get used to that with Defense and we have to learn that. But I do believe in it and I think there are opportunities here.”