Trudy from Hoeven is in danger of ending up on the street because she is no longer allowed to live in her house at the Panjevaart villa park in Halderberge. She has lived here since her husband died, because she has difficulty finding an affordable house on her own. The municipality wants to put an end to this, because permanently living in a holiday park is contrary to the zoning plan. Although it is not allowed according to the applicable rules, many Brabant municipalities turn a blind eye. How exactly does that work?
We speak of ‘permanent living’ at holiday parks when someone with their holiday home is registered with the municipality and receives mail here. According to the municipality’s zoning plan, this is not allowed: the holiday home is simply not intended for that. The municipality, together with the park, is responsible for enforcing this rule and can issue hefty fines.
Turn a blind eye
But a tour by Omroep Brabant shows that many municipalities turn a blind eye as long as there is no nuisance. 12 of the 18 municipalities we spoke to about this subject sometimes allow people to live in the parks. “The basic principle is that it is not permitted, but there are sometimes cases in which it is temporarily allowed,” says a spokesperson for the municipality of Breda.
“It mainly concerns people who really have no choice, such as people in (contested) divorce,” adds the municipality of Oosterhout. A spokesperson for the municipality of Boekel indicates that in these urgent situations, clear agreements are made about when the resident will leave the park again. The municipality of Gilze-Rijen takes an even stricter approach and agrees that residents can live in a holiday park for a maximum of one year.
Why is that not allowed?
There are several reasons why living in a holiday home is not allowed. The most important thing is that holiday parks are intended for recreation. If people live there permanently, there is less room for holiday makers. In addition, permanent residents spend less money at the park. This could be at the expense of the catering industry or recreation.
Safety also plays a role: “Different safety requirements apply to residential homes than to holiday homes,” explains a spokesperson for the municipality of Meierijstad. “The fire safety is not at the same level.” In addition, holiday homes are sometimes used as a refuge for criminal activities by people who live there long-term.
To enforce
Even if a municipality decides that people are not allowed to live in the park, it is difficult to take action against this. Municipalities often do not have enough people to properly monitor the parks. “We do point out to the owner of the park the responsibility to take action,” says the municipality of Oss.
Most municipalities say they will look for a solution together with the resident. “People often go to live in a holiday park out of necessity. So we try to help the resident move on to a regular house,” says the municipality of Maashorst. In Oosterhout, these personal circumstances are sometimes a reason to let people live in the park a little longer, so that they have time to look for other accommodation.
Challenge
Most municipalities we spoke to allow living at holiday parks in specific cases until residents have found another home. These are Maashorst, Gemert-Bakel, Oosterhout, Baarle-Nassau, Gilze-Rijen, Eersel, Meierijstad, Oirschot, Rucphen, Bernheze and Breda. An exceptional case is De Stille Wille park in Oirschot. The municipality has amended the zoning plan there, which means that permanent residence is now allowed.
The municipalities of Oss, Waalre, Boxtel, Someren and Sint-Michielsgestel say that they have not yet had to deal with permanent residence at holiday parks or do not allow living at holiday parks under any circumstances.
It therefore differs per municipality how exactly they respond to permanent residents. Although most municipalities want to prevent people from simply living on a holiday site, it seems that they understand urgent cases.
READ ALSO: Trudy is no longer allowed to live in her holiday home: ‘I have nowhere to go’