Local residents are mainly concerned about traffic congestion when a new residential area is built. They say the traffic over the viaduct at the A37 towards Hoogeveen is already busy. Many children also cycle back and forth, they say.
“We first want to have a good idea of the consequences of housing construction,” responded Alderman Wind. “We are still at the beginning of the process. This means that we still have to investigate everything. If traffic measures are necessary, we will include them in the plan. But it is simply too early to say anything about it.”
One attendee reacted angrily to a map shown by the municipality. “The dotted line above the Trekgatenweg is referred to here as a new road. It goes exactly over our plot. We did not see it during a meeting last week.”
The angry man accused the municipality of having lied “outright” because a different card is now being used. According to Hoogeveen it is a concept route. If the district is eventually built, it could become a road. “But that is not fixed and can change. We are not there yet,” responded a municipal official.
Nature is also a concern for local residents. They fear that construction will be at the expense of the landscape between Alteveer and the Langedijk. “Meadow birds and the little green frog live there,” one attendee explained.
The decision to impose a pre-emptive right on agricultural land is also causing unrest. Landowners must first offer their land to the municipality if they want to sell. “Farmers do not dare to expand and have been standing still for years,” said an angry farmer present. “That’s ridiculous.” A municipal official responded by saying that those who do not want to sell, do not have to sell.
According to councilor Niek Wind, the housing areas have been deliberately drawn out more broadly. For example, the area near Alteveer-West is five times as large as is needed for the planned 500 homes.
“We did that on purpose,” he explains. “If there are objections later, we can determine together with residents how large the area will ultimately be. We also take the meadow birds and nature into account.”
The city council will first be informed about the plans tomorrow. A debate will follow on this later, after which the council will make a decision in December about the pre-emptive right and the further development of housing in Hoogeveen-Zuid. Until then, residents can submit an objection.
Reporter Wouter Westerveld recently spoke with angry farmers and residents about the housing plan. Watch the report below: