It cannot be ruled out that the Council of State, as the highest administrative court in this country, will strike down the zoning plan for the Meppel Noord III business park, as emerged today during a court case in The Hague.
The 20-hectare industrial estate is planned between the railway line, the A32 motorway and the canal on the north side. On North III, energy grid company TenneT is already busy building a large high and medium voltage substation (1110/20 kV). That station will soon form an indispensable link in strengthening and making the electricity grid of Northwest Overijssel and Southwest Drenthe more sustainable.
Meppel also wants to attract new offices, companies and retail establishments. However, the construction and arrival of companies result in an increase in acidifying nitrogen. And that is something the Nature Conservancy Foundation does not really like. He filed a lawsuit against the zoning plan.
During the trial, the lawyer stated that the Nature Conservation Guard is not against the construction of the high-voltage station and the associated pylons. “This station is intended to alleviate congestion on the energy grid so that more sustainable energy can be generated and used.”
“What we do fear is that the other companies will emit too much nitrogen and that will have adverse consequences for nearby Natura 2000 areas, such as De Wieden and the Drents-Friese Wold. An extensive Appropriate Assessment will first have to be made for this.”
Meppel’s spokesperson said that the municipal council is already working on a recovery decision for the North III plan. This is necessary because the Council of State made a crucial nitrogen ruling on December 18, 2024. “The municipal council wants to adopt a new and amended environmental plan for all industrial estates in Meppel next November.”
And for this, extensive nitrogen research will be carried out. “It can only become a problem for North III if the Council of State annuls the current zoning plan. Then much stricter nitrogen standards apply than if it concerns an existing plan.”
The highest administrative judge saw the major dilemma for the municipality and said he would think carefully about the ruling. Either the Council will annul the entire zoning plan, or it will give Meppel another chance to repair the North III plan. Or another variant, the judges of the Council of State want to think about that again.
The destruction of the zoning plan does not appear to immediately pose a problem for the construction of the high-voltage station. Because TenneT already has an irrevocable permit. Nevertheless, the municipal spokesperson asked the highest court to possibly only approve the plan for the high-voltage substation. The verdict will follow in a few weeks.