They barely slept last night. Somewhat resigned, Peter van der Made (72) and Marijke de Visser (63) sat in the living room on Wednesday, thinking about what was said the night before. “There are all kinds of things going through your head, it’s very unreal,” says the purebred Moerdijker Peter. The news that their village Moerdijk is being wiped off the map to make way for industry came ‘like a hammer blow’.
“It is really deeply sad. It is a village with a whole history that they are sweeping away like that. But yes, it is no different,” says Marijke. “It’s plug in for one person and plug out for us,” Peter adds, referring to the dissolution of their village for the arrival of the Powerport energy factory in Moerdijk.
Peter has lived in his beloved village all his life and keeps track of everything that is going on. For example, he went to the residents’ meeting in the Ankerkuil on Tuesday in a positive mood. He almost never skips an evening like this. But he had only just left the house when Marijke received a message. “‘The village of Moerdijk must go’, I read on my phone.”
“We just enjoy living here.”
Marijke continues: “Peter could no longer talk, so I immediately went to the village hall. And then you hear the mayor and alderman say that it is simply the end of the exercise. That hits very hard. Yes, very hard.”
Immediately all kinds of scenarios went through her head. “What should happen next, because we live here just to our liking. You will never find this anywhere else.”
Peter has done a lot of renovations to the house over the years. “We had made everything life-long enough to be able to grow old here. Now we have to look for something in the municipality of Moerdijk or somewhere else.”
“A house like that costs twice as much outside Moerdijk.”
They hope that the municipality will think with them about a good solution. Because Peter and Marijke believe that there should be substantial compensation. They are thinking of new construction or a house that is approximately the same size as their current home.
They do not want to participate in the so-called Moerdijk scheme, in which the municipality buys up houses at market value. Peter: “Because a house like this costs twice as much outside Moerdijk.” Marijke: “It is not just a house, it is also an emotion that we have to say goodbye to.”
Emotions are high for the couple. Peter in particular must leave a lifetime of memories behind him. He is actively involved in the village, served in the fire brigade for many years and volunteered at the church. He proudly shows his royal and papal decorations. “You’re going to lose the village feeling, because you won’t find it anywhere anymore. No one will live in the same street. Maybe you’ll see each other again at a party to reminisce.”
The news did not come as a complete surprise to Peter. He has seen many farms and houses disappear around the village in recent decades: in the 1970s for the Rode Vaart, at the beginning of this century for the A16 and the high-speed line, and recently for the Moerdijk Logistics Park. “Everything has disappeared and now it’s our turn. Only now do we know what those people experienced then.”
“We had even reserved graves.”
Peter and Marijke wanted to be buried later at the Catholic cemetery in the village. “We always said that we would stay on Moerdijk, close to our relatives,” says Peter. “We had even reserved graves. But that turns out to be no guarantee.” Marijke adds: “What are they going to do with those graves now? Rebury them? And where?”
Many residents will soon have to make plans to leave Moerdijk. The demolition of houses is already being discussed. Peter and Marijke fear that their village will become a ghost place, just like the Belgian Doel. “You shouldn’t want that,” says Marijke.
“There’s no point in waiting.”
The couple has agreed that they will not be the last to leave Moerdijk. “There’s no point in waiting. Then you just keep working on it,” says Marijke. “And now we can still do it together,” Peter adds.
Despite everything, the couple tries to stay positive. “Because we as Moerdijkers are hardworking and resilient people. That’s how we were raised,” says Marijke.