A delegation of residents from Buitenkaag argued last night during a meeting of the Kaag-Buitenkaag village council in favor of splitting up the council. According to them, the interests of the residents of Buitenkaag are not looked after and the statutes are not acted upon.
The villages are located in different provinces, but therefore have one council. “Our proposal is an Buitenkaag village council that represents the interests of the village,” says Menno Hegeman, resident of Buitenkaag. “Especially when these are not in line with the interests on Kaageiland. It must be possible to speak freely and openly.”
An earlier survey among Buitenkagers shows that they would like to have their own village council. Benita Verhoef, one of the initiators of this survey, says that about 80 of the 131 respondents have indicated that they want a village council.
Ringvaart as a municipal and provincial border
Buitenkaag is located in the southernmost tip of Haarlemmermeer, bordering on the island ‘Kaag’ in the municipality of Kaag en Braassem. But despite the fact that the two villages are located in different municipalities and therefore even provinces, there has been a joint village council for fifty years.
The way in which the village council acts is causing dissatisfaction among residents of Buitenkaag. According to them, it mainly focuses on the interests of residents and entrepreneurs on the island. Shipyard Royal van Lent in particular is causing the necessary problems in Buitenkaag.
At the beginning of 2021, residents of Buitenkaag still expressed their frustrations about the parking problem in the village. Shipyard workers parked their cars in the village to take the ferry from there for free.
In addition, there are regular long traffic jams of cars that do want to take the ferry to the island. “This creates dangerous situations,” said Hegeman. In addition, residents of the island throw away their waste in Buitenkaag and they want to build a parcel point in Buitenkaag.
Solution to the parking problem
For the parking problem, the Municipal Executive of the Municipality of Haarlemmermeer is expanding the existing parking lot, intended for the employees of Van Lent. In a proposal to the council, the council wrote at the end of March that they want to increase the parking lot by 220 parking spaces. In addition, a separate access road must be created to prevent traffic congestion in Buitenkaag and the current road to the site must be closed.
Despite a solution to the parking problem, emotions are rising and according to Benita and Menno it is time to divorce: “Just like in a marriage, sometimes it is better to separate, after fifty years this seems the right time. We will find each other in the future where we should,” said Benita.
Board is open to split
Renée Smit, chairman of the Kaag-Buitenkaag village council, confirms that the Buitenkagers group made the proposal last night. “It was a good story and there is a lot to be said for staying together and there are arguments for separating. As board we say: the living environment of Kaag and Buitenkaag belongs together. We try during meetings give both villages equal attention.”
Renée announces that the board is open to splitting up the village council. “We have therefore asked for a concrete proposal and a representative study should be carried out into what the Buitenkagers want. So we have returned it to the Buitenkagers group, they can get started with a plan,” she concludes.