The construction of a supermarket in Ter Borch, near Eelderwolde, is significantly restricting the space available to students at De Rietzang primary school. Because the road safety of the students is also at risk, a petition was handed over to the municipality of Tynaarlo this afternoon.
Aldermen Jelbrich Peters (PvdA) and Jurryt Vellinga (Livebaar Tynaarlo) received the petition from Maaike and Julian, both of whom sit on the student council of De Rietzang.
351 people have already signed the petition, which calls for more space around the school. “The petition has been signed by parents, grandparents, employees of De Rietzang and employees of the health center next to the school,” says Josine Huizinga. Huizinga is the mother of three school-age children and one of the driving forces behind the petition.
“By building the supermarket, the school is being enclosed,” she notes. “We are not against the construction, but we are concerned about the play space. We have been told by our children that it is no longer fun to play outside. Due to the lack of space, schedules are being made for playing football and tag. Our children sometimes come home sad because they can no longer play.”
The adjacent health center is also not happy with the limited space for the students, who previously used the field on which a supermarket is now being built. “Balls are shot at the windows and there are bicycles around their building,” Huizinga says. “That is not the intention.”
Meanwhile, parents see that the access roads to the school are becoming less safe since the supermarket was built. “The Borchsingel (near the school, ed.) will soon be tackled, but we are not aware of that,” says Huizinga. “We think that’s a shame, because we want to be able to discuss it. Because it is a road that many parents and children use during school days. We have invited Veilig Verkeer Nederland to take an on-site survey soon.”
Huizinga would prefer to see the school have more space, but she also sees that there does not seem to be such space around the school. “We want to discuss this with the municipality of Tynaarlo,” she explains. “Maybe we can designate a place with the municipality for a parking lot where children can play or play football at certain times.”
There is currently no concrete plan as to how the situation around De Rietzang can be improved. “But something has to be done,” Huizinga emphasizes. “Because this is an accident waiting to happen.”
Councilor Peters promises to commit himself to the situation in Ter Borch. “It’s good that attention is being drawn to this,” she says. “We have received the petition and will treat it as a matter of priority.”
Peters cannot yet say anything substantive about the traffic situation around the school. “We have to talk about that with the officials involved.” However, she has promised the children who were at the town hall this afternoon that they will soon come and play on the square, so that they can experience first-hand the state of the space.