Residents of Oranjedorp don’t understand it. A huge distribution center that was built near the village against their wishes and completed in October last year is still empty.
The plans for a large distribution center near Oranjedorp have caused a lot of commotion among local residents in recent years. The meter-high ‘Berlin Wall’, as it is popularly called, was built less than a hundred meters from part of the village. Despite all the protests and an error in the archaeological investigation, which was not carried out in advance.
According to Hobbe Jan Hiemstra, chairman of Local Interest Oranjedorp, the vacancy of the distribution center mainly raises questions in the village. “Initially the project was pitched as something that would create jobs and was really needed,” he says. “But if the building is still empty a year after completion, people wonder: was it really necessary?”
Yet Hiemstra takes a nuanced view of the situation. He points out that logistics properties such as those at Oranjedorp are developed for the long term and only find a tenant later. “That in itself is not unusual,” he says. “But that was not the expectation that was created among the people here at the time. “You feel a bit taken by the nose.”
Hiemstra is cautiously optimistic about what will happen when the building is put into use. “Depending on who comes in, there will be a little more freight traffic. But that doesn’t necessarily have to cause much inconvenience,” he says. “Most of the noise from trucks will remain on the other side of the building. That is already the case and that makes a difference.”
As far as he is concerned, the most important lesson lies in communication itself. “The municipality could take more steps in this in the future.” He also believes that this also applies to involving local residents at an early stage.
The Hart voor Emmen faction has asked questions about the distribution center, which is still empty. At the time, the council spoke of 300 to 400 new jobs and an economic boost. But that has not happened so far, according to the group. In addition, the municipality would still conduct archaeological research into the pingo ruin in the soil at the location of the distribution center.
“This was promised during our last questions about Oranjedorp,” said party chairman Robart de Jong. “But I’ve heard very little back about it.”
In any case, De Jong has never been happy with the entire course of events. “The thing had to be installed with steam and boiling water, while there was a lot of resistance among local residents. And then it turned out that there was also something valuable in the ground.” The politician speaks of a ‘megalomaniac’ plan, and he seriously wonders whether the building will still be filled. “I’m looking for a bit of self-awareness in the municipality. Was this worth all the time and effort that was put into it?”
Construction of the building was completed in October 2024 after one year. Investor Solidiam, the initiator of the center, had previously sold the location to P3 Logistics Parks. This is a European investor and developer of logistics real estate, specialized in developing warehouses and distribution centers.
As manager of these locations, P3 can count Amazon and DHL among its customers. P3 also has another and fully stocked location in Drenthe, near Assen-Zuid, in the armpit of the A28 and the N33.
The building in Emmen has been empty for almost a year now. Paul Kadiks of P3 announced this summer that the company is in discussions with various interested parties, both for individual units and for the entire building. There was no concrete interpretation yet. There was no response to a recent inquiry.