Drenthe needs thousands of extra houses, but some construction plans still provoke protests. In Hoogeveen-Zuid, for example, where plans for up to 1,500 new houses are causing a lot of unrest among residents. According to assistant professor Sander van Lanen, affiliated with the University of Groningen (RUG), this resistance involves more than just stones, traffic or views.
Theater De Tamboer in Hoogeveen was packed to the rafters last night during an information evening about the planned housing development in Hoogeveen-Zuid. The municipality wants to build a maximum of 1,500 houses there, but many local residents made it clear that they are concerned about extra traffic, the disappearance of nature and the peace and quiet in their neighborhood.
According to assistant professor Van Lanen, an expert in social and spatial justice and social infrastructure, among other things, it is important to realize that not everyone has the same interest in such an information evening. “People who already own or rent a house look at new construction differently than people who are still looking for a home. For homeowners, something is changing in their living environment; for home seekers, there is an opportunity there.”
This tension regularly leads to heated discussions. Van Lanen refers to a statement by former Minister Hugo de Jonge for Housing and Spatial Planning, who once said that “the right to view” in the Netherlands sometimes seems more important than “the right to live”. “That sounds a bit joking, but it does touch something,” says Van Lanen. “Many objections come from people who are afraid of losing their view, peace or nature. These are real feelings, although they conflict with the broader interests of housing.”
Homeowners are generally more active in raising objections than tenants, he notes. “That is also logical: for example, an owner is more likely to worry about a decline in the value of his home. This is different for tenants; they usually do not experience any direct financial disadvantage from this.”
Yet resistance is not just about money or views, Van Lanen emphasizes. “The relationship between the municipality and residents also plays a role. If there is already distrust, a new construction project is quickly seen as yet another decision where ‘the municipality pushes its way’. Then resistance to new construction becomes an expression of broader dissatisfaction.”
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