Make a fist or wait patiently? Residents of Eelde and the surrounding area are not necessarily unanimous about what to think of the possible arrival of F-35 fighter jets at Groningen Airport Eelde.
“A lot is possible here in the north. You also see that with the ammunition depots. They have to spread the business a bit throughout the country, but apparently that is not possible.” Just a reaction from a woman who comes to do her shopping in Eelde. She is not happy with the news and knows from her son – who works at the air base in Leeuwarden – what kind of noise fighter jets make. “I think they should be placed in Eelde, as long as they don’t fly with them.”
Jan Wittenberg of the Eelde Airport Residents Association (VOLE) calls for resistance. “This is really not possible. The entire north must rise up against this.” He finds the Environmental Federations of Groningen and Drenthe at his side. They shared a statement this afternoon in which they call for dissent.
In it, the environmental federations point out the adverse consequences for the surrounding nature. ‘Around Eelde, protected nature, agriculture, recreational companies, health institutions, riding schools, housing development targets, and the like are also of great importance. These interests should also be given a place in the assessment. Our appeal to the House of Representatives is therefore: you cannot do this to the northerners,” it reads.
Another woman in the heart of Eelde thinks that Defense has opted for a different location. She thinks Lelystad is more obvious. “It is simply too small here. I don’t think the State Secretary can conclude otherwise.”
However, for Wittenberg and ‘his’ VOLE, sitting back is not an option. “Nobody wants and can take responsibility for the misery that these fighter jets bring,” he thinks out loud. “Then the State Secretary also says that people in France are clapping for the planes. That man really does not know what impact allowing F-35 fighter jets will have on this region.”
Mayor Marcel Thijsen of Tynaarlo also thinks the plans are a ‘no-go’. “If the government allows this, the repayment of the Honor Debt (the debt that the government wants to repay to the Northern Netherlands, ed.) is no longer worth anything as far as I am concerned.”