After a two-year search, HofwonenZuidwolde has managed to find a place to build a neighborhood for people over 55. Twenty homes should be built on the western edge of Zuidwolde.
There is no shortage of interest in the houses. “171 interested parties have registered,” says Bert Snippe, who took the initiative for the neighborhood together with partner Inge van Rijssen. “We didn’t expect that either. I estimate that 85 percent come from Zuidwolde itself. About 10 percent from De Wolden and the rest from outside the municipality.”
This concerns households, so both singles and couples. “That number shows that there is a great need for such a facility,” is Van Rijssen’s conclusion.
According to her, court living serves several interests. “You know that there have been cutbacks in retirement homes and that it is sometimes a problem for the elderly to continue living at home for longer. Then it is nice if you can live together with like-minded people and do fun things. Or if you sometimes need a new knee , they can look out for you. For example, our children don’t live nearby, they are not eager to poke their heads out the door every day. Neighborhood is really one of the pillars.”
Flow on the housing market can also be helped in Zuidwolde. Van Rijssen: “It is of social importance that people like us move from large homes with large gardens. With that flow you can give young people a chance. Zuidwolde is also aging, you will notice it at sports clubs and schools if there are no suitable homes. .”
HofwonenZuidwolde looks like a barnyard, but it is not. “A knarrenhof is a protected concept, we do it slightly differently. We did look at knarrenhofjes, the idea is similar,” Snippe explains.
20 single-storey homes will be built on the purchased plot of land on the corner of the Westerveldseweg and the Westerveldpad. “And a communal building where you can meet each other, play games or have a party,” says Snippe. An adjacent plot has also been purchased with forest that the future residents can maintain together.
Who they ultimately are still requires a lot of work. “We are going for age distribution. We don’t want everyone to be over 70 straight away, because in ten years they will be over 80 and then they will no longer have to look after each other,” Van Rijssen explains. Because looking back is what it’s all about in the end. Snippe: “You really have to want to live here, we will also ask in the conversations how people see that solidarity.”
The ball is now in the municipality’s court, where the permits must be issued. “We are now one step further. If we can start construction early next year, we will do well,” Snippe looks ahead. “We are now especially very happy that we have this location.”