“You can write that down for the summer,” said State Secretary Derk Boswijk (CDA) this morning after receiving the compensation offer from Midden-Drenthe and residents. He then wants to provide clarity to residents, entrepreneurs and social organizations that are affected by the expansion of the De Haar military training area.
“I am going to make sure that I am back in Assen before the summer and that I will then talk to administrators and perhaps local residents to explain what the process is. I don’t know whether there will be a final offer,” says Boswijk. “But what I do hear is that there was quite a bit of frustration about the past few months and the radio silence that there was.”
“That has to do with, and this is not an excuse but an explanation, the change of cabinet. I am going to ensure that the silence is gone, that there is contact and that they quickly know where they stand.”
Defense wants to do things differently this time, because after the construction of the De Haar training ground in the 1980s, it did not keep its promises. Residents have yet to see it. “I can hear the distrust,” says Margriet Slotman. She is from Dorpsbelangen Hooghalen and involved in all kinds of citizen initiatives. “First see and then believe that something will be done with this offer. That is the general picture that I get.”
She herself has a more positive attitude about it. “Personally, I am someone who has confidence in others. So I assume that it will be handled well and that trust and my confidence will not be damaged.”
In any case, the residents have the municipality as an ally. “We do this together. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the residents in that regard,” said Mayor Jan Zwiers, who, together with two residents, presented the compensation offer to the State Secretary.
No amounts are mentioned in the offer, but it is clear that it is more than the standard. The State Secretary will look into it, he says. But the State Secretary does not do more than promise that money is available. “It is always sharing in scarcity. I have to see what is possible. I have to have similar conversations in several places. I have to look at that too and then put together a whole jigsaw puzzle.
“I think there is room for a number of things, but I need time to examine what exactly that will be.”
He wants to provide more clarity before the summer. “I’m going on holiday at the beginning of July, so it would be nice if it was arranged before then,” says Mayor Jan Zwiers. “I’m going to do my best, together with the residents. I hope defense too and then we’ll see.
