Residents of Valthe are in an uproar about the plans for a sunbathing lawn in their village, which is also known as an ‘archaeological pearl’. There has been talk of a solar park in Valthe for years, but now it is getting closer. Tonight there was a walk-in evening, where residents could discuss the plans.
The intended location for the Valthe sunbathing lawn is located on the Weerdingerweg, southeast of the village. In 2018, the Zonneakkers policy plan in Borger-Odoorn was drawn up. The initiative describes how a solar meadow can be constructed to fit into the landscape and how other interests – both social and ecological – could be combined with solar energy. This ten-hectare solar park must consist of 24,000 panels, which can supply approximately 3,500 households with power.
In June of this year, BHM Solar organized the first walk-in evening about the arrival of the solar park at the request of Local Interest Valthe. Visitors could then become acquainted with the concept plan and give their opinion. The opinions were loud and clear then and remained unchanged in the following months. Residents particularly had difficulty with the appearance of the park and its location near the Valtherschans.
The design was adjusted after the critical voices and the residents of Valthe are generally satisfied, as it turned out tonight. “The park is further away from the road than was planned five months ago. The park is also much lower than the Weerdingerweg, which provides less view of the solar panels,” said a resident of Valthe.
However, not everyone is satisfied with the plans, even after the adjustments. Opponents call it ‘ridiculous’ that the solar park has to be placed on good agricultural land. “After all, the power grid is overloaded, so this will not benefit me at all,” said a disappointed resident.
Local residents were under the impression that the plan had been scrapped, since as of January 1, permits for solar parks on agricultural land will only be granted with very few exceptions. But this is different in Valthe, because the policy plan was already drawn up in 2018.
“If residents had not wanted this park, they should have reported it before 2018,” says the organizer of the meeting. If the plans go ahead, it could take until 2030 before the park is actually built.