Residents of Hooghalen, Smilde, Laaghalen and Laaghalerveen came en masse to a meeting of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe last night in ‘t Haoler Hoes. The most important question: how should the area around the larger training area be compensated?
“This environment must be compensated and preferably as spacious as possible.” These are the words of chairman Henk Boer of Dorpsbelangen Hooghalen, Laaghalen and Laaghalerveen. The impact on the places he represents is great and Defense should give something back to the environment, he believes.
“The State Secretary (Gijs Tuinman (BBB), ed.) has also promised this. We assume that Defense will take its responsibility to compensate for this area,” said Boer.
There is quite a bit on the wish list of the residents, as became apparent during the evening in ‘t Haoler Hoes. Noise from helicopters flying overhead and passing military vehicles is an important theme.
“The intended noise nuisance, the approach routes and the practice with heavy equipment will also have to be compensated for in some way,” says Cor Onderwater, chairman of Bewonersbelang Smilde en Eekhoutswijk. “And it is very important that people get clarity about what nuisance they will soon experience.”
“We are very afraid of an increase in noise,” says Margreet Moorlag, a resident of Laaghalen. “We already have the A28 and the TT Circuit in the area. If there are more military exercises, we really want soundproofing measures to be taken,” she says on behalf of her street.
She receives support from a resident of Smilde, who lives on the other side of the planned new training area. “The approach routes are largely over Smilde. That will cause more noise in our house,” explains Sietse Radix. In his opinion, flying over nature reserves around Smilde should not be allowed at all during the breeding season.
There should also be compensation for the decline in the value of homes and for restrictions on entrepreneurs to expand, according to several residents. Homes and businesses around the training site must remain easily accessible.
Then there are the facilities in the villages, for which Defense would have to pay a lot of money. A new sports hall, for both Hooghalen and Smilde, is high on the list. Just like homes for both the elderly and young people. “And we would like a safe cycling connection from Hooghalen to Hijken,” Boer notes.
People also hope for better bus connections, subsidies for the village supermarket, the return of the general practitioner, keeping the swimming pool in Smilde open and the construction of a multifunctional center in Hooghalen.
Midden-Drenthe collects all those wishes that people in ‘t Haoler Hoes could write on notes or personally convey to mayor Jan Zwiers and councilor Jan Schipper (CDA). The mayor expects that some adjustments will be made to the previous compensation plan, in response to all the responses from residents.
The municipality will then wait to convince Defense to invest money in the area. “To say: you are welcome and we will pull our purse strings, that is not the case,” says Zwiers about the expectation of whether money can be extracted from Defense.
“But my feeling is that we have been invited between the lines. Defense is in any case willing to talk and I think it is important that it thinks about how it can be a good neighbor,” says Zwiers.
Many residents are not immediately optimistic about the municipality’s chances. Thirty years ago, when the current training ground was constructed, promised compensation did not materialize. Everyone hopes that Defense will now take its responsibility.
