If it were up to the municipality, the village of Moerdijk should disappear. The municipality announced this on Tuesday evening in a specially convened meeting for residents of the village. With the expanding industry, the mayor and aldermen see the closure of the village with 1,130 inhabitants as the only option: “This is the biggest decision we have ever made.”
The council sees the eventual disappearance of the village, under certain conditions, as a necessary step. It wants the government and the province to opt for expansion of industry east of the current port and industrial estate, where the village of Moerdijk is currently located. The council is implacable in its decision: the other variant in which the village would be spared, southeast of the port area, is ‘not negotiable under any circumstances’.
450 hectares needed
The expansion needed is enormous. The port and industrial estate will expand and three new energy stations will be built to continue to provide everyone with electricity in the future. Other projects, such as high-voltage lines and a transformer station, must be built around the energy stations. A total of 450 hectares of land, approximately 630 football fields, is needed for the plans.
And according to the municipality, that space must be found where the village of Moerdijk is currently located. According to Alderman Dingemans, it is the only location that meets the requirements. It is located on the water and close to the current industrial estate. The other location southeast of the port area would cause major quality of life problems in four villages (Moerdijk, Zevenbergen, Zevenbergschen Hoek and Langeweg), and the A17 is also ‘in the way’. Dingemans: “You can’t do much in that place.” Working around the village of Moerdijk is also not an option, as you will end up with an ‘isolated village’ with poor quality of life.
‘You’ll just live there’
The fact that the council sees no other options does not mean that the choice was made easily. Mayor Moerkerke says that he had an ’emotionally eventful week’, during which he had conversations with Moerdijkers. “We are asking for a huge sacrifice from our residents.” He calls the questions about the survival of the village, which have been going on for years, ‘terrible’: “You will just live there and always have to deal with that uncertainty.”
Dingemans adds: “That recurring question about the survival of the village must stop.” He hears residents asking them to ‘show courage’. “People have no use for a government that keeps saying ‘we are still looking, we are working on the next step’, we have to move on.”
But when will the village disappear? Dingemans hopes that people can enjoy living in Moerdijk for another ten years: “There is not much of a rush.” At the same time, the energy plans do not wait. Construction of the new energy stations must start in 2028. These should be ready in 2033, while other projects are being started.
The council emphasizes that it wants something in return from the government for contributing to this ‘national task’. ‘First give, then take’ is what they call it. In this way, a human approach is advocated, in which residents are offered perspective. Both when it comes to a new home (with urgency) and financial compensation. There should also be a fund to guarantee the viability of the village as long as it still exists.
A new community?
The preconditions are clear to the municipal council, but the details still need to be worked out. “There is no concrete plan yet for new homes, we will have to work something out,” says the councilor. For example, new homes in one location can be considered so that the community is preserved, but this is not a condition. “Not every resident will be interested in that.” It is also not yet known how much money people will receive for their home.
The council’s plan now goes to the city council for approval. If it is approved, it will be submitted to the national government and the province. They will make the decision on December 1. According to the municipality, waiting longer is not an option. “A decision must be made by December 1, that is our commitment. Waiting longer is unacceptable.”
