‘Zonnepark Zuidvelde creates dichotomy in the area’

Everything went wrong between local residents and initiators from the start. Residents were surprised by the plans of ChintSolar, TP Solar and Ankehaar Solar, which appeared to be at an advanced stage. Gerard Willenborg (CDA) speaks of a ‘robbery’. “After that, initiators and local residents did not come closer together.”

Alderman Ipema says that the participation process met the frameworks set by the Noordenveld municipality.

Local residents think the size of the solar park is too large. Even after the province of Drenthe forced the initiators to reduce the park from 135 to 74 hectares, the so-called ‘Kernteam Zuidvelde’, among others, still finds this too extensive. They prefer a park of a maximum of 35 hectares. “We are not against a solar park, but we are against one that you can walk around the Avond4Daagse!” said a resident and member of the team.

Over the past year and a half there have been reproaches that one person did not want to talk to the other. “The financial picture is apparently more important than the participation process,” said speaker Peter Giezen. Emma Hendriks (TP Solar) objected that ‘kilometers of bushes’ are being built after talks with local residents.

Everyone agrees that communication and cooperation has been far from good. Councilor Hendrik Smeenge (Municipality Interests) raises his own heart. “The municipality should have taken more control.”

According to Jannes Pastoor, who lives in nearby Huis ter Heide, all this creates a divide in the area around the solar park. “A number of people do not dare to give an opinion on this. They keep quiet.”

Jannes Janssen of Ankehaar Solar does not think there is any discord in the area. “Proponents and opponents treat each other with respect. They still drink a beer among themselves.”

There are plenty of technical questions. About the foraging area, nitrogen emissions and safety, for example. Femke Wolthuis (Lijst Groen Noordenveld) calls them ‘loose ends’. She also refers to the capacity of the energy network. According to speaker Bert van Halen, grid operator Enexis previously designated the area in Zuidvelde as an ‘area with limited capacity’.

Hendriks from TP Solar says that shouldn’t be a problem. “We have weekly consultations with Enexis and I do not see this as a loose end.” It is also logical, according to Hendriks, that there is no nature permit yet. “It will be applied for and no panel will be installed before the permit is issued. That does not alter the fact that we can already apply for the subsidy.”

CDA councilor Willenborg strongly opposes the plans. According to him, there could have been a nice, small-scale plan that everyone involved could have been happy with. “But apparently it is more important for Noordenveld that the solar park is built.”

According to alderman Ipema, the requirements that projects must meet in Noordenveld are quite strict. “So it’s really not the case that you can put something everywhere in our municipality.”

Bertus Jan Epema of the PvdA/GroenLinks duo faction is a strong supporter of the solar park. Still, he would like to see the initiators organize another information meeting to clarify many questions. “Because we think those questions are easy to answer.”

Wouter Guliker of ChintSolar says some of the questions asked tonight were new. “But we would like to answer them with love. We would also like to organize a new meeting.”

The big question in the council was whether the subject should not be moved up. The CDA, the VVD and Lijst Groen Noordenveld proposed this. According to Smeenge (Municipality Interests), that makes little sense. “There is talk of a stalemate. Bring it into procedure, so that everyone can discuss it at a later stage.”

With 14 for and 6 against, the statement of no objections was finally established. The substantive discussion and the permit procedure will continue after the summer.