A group of Moerdijk residents have set up a legal protection fund to defend all residents of the village now that Moerdijk may have to disappear. A foundation established late last year has started a fundraising campaign. This can be used to pay the costs of lawyers, independent investigations and plan damage and expropriation experts.
“Together you are strong, because on your own you cannot do anything against the government,” says secretary Marianne Quik of the collective. According to her, the residents of Moerdijk live in persistent uncertainty about the survival of their village.
The fund is not a protest, but according to the founders it is ‘a professional counterforce’. “It offers residents the opportunity to sit at the table as an equal party and ensures fair, careful and transparent decision-making,” says Quik. According to the foundation, the lawyer couple Geert-Jan and Carry Knoops will assist the residents.
Residents must make way for industry
In November, the municipality of Moerdijk agreed to the plan to make the village disappear. Space is needed for the expansion of the nearby port and industrial estate. And that is why, according to the municipal council, there is no other option than to give up the village, which has about 1,100 inhabitants.
Although the decision is not yet final, the consequences are already noticeable, the collective states: houses become unsellable, investments are at a standstill and families do not know where they stand.
The residents of Moerdijk will have to wait another six months in anticipation to see which way things will go. The national government and the province want more time to make a decision. Clarity will therefore only be available next summer.
