Whether it will ever be going well between the owners of a sheepfold in Wateren and the municipality of Westerveld is the big question. They broke an old sheepfold, rebuilt him and placed three holiday homes in it. But a permit was delayed. After a break -up burst of the owners, the municipality came up with the announcement that a permit will be made within six weeks. To the surprise of the judge.
The minds were high on the Council of State. Reason that the judge called the sheepfold owner to order. “It makes little sense to throw so much mud at the municipal officials, while you are still busy in consultation about the legalization of the sheepfold. And in a courtroom it certainly doesn’t make a pass to go so fiercely to each other.”
The owner then tied somewhat. Although at that time it never seemed to be good between the municipality and the Wateraars, the lawyer of Westerveld came up with a remarkable announcement.
To the surprise of the judge, he stated that within six weeks there will most likely be a permit for three recreational homes built in the sheepfold. “Why are we still here,” the judge wondered.
The lawyer of the owner of the Schaapskooi did have an explanation for that. “There has been so much wrong in the entire preliminary phase over the past five years that my clients want to have a judge on this. Municipal officials have made commitments that it was no problem at all to renovate the old sheepfold and to build a few recreational homes there. And suddenly the officials turned around the tree and couldn’t do anything.”
According to the lawyer of Westerveld, neither civil servants nor drivers have ever made any tough commitments that it was no problem to renew the sheepfold from the ground and to rent it out for recreation. “There is a scheme in the zoning plan that makes that possible. But that is only possible in characteristic cultural-historical valuable outbuilding. This was no longer the case after the renovation and rebuilding. It is a whole new building that no longer has any value.”
But according to the owners, agreements were made about what was and what was not possible. They were allowed to rebuild a sheepfold with the same sizes, appearance and similar materials. “That is exactly what they have done. And then the municipality will suddenly be dangling. They find that incomprehensible and want to put it right with this lawsuit,” said their lawyer.
Two -accompanying municipal officials made it clear to the judge it was wrong with them that their integrity is being questioned in this way and that mud was thrown in such a way. “It was true that there was consultation, but an official was shocked when it turned out that they had been starting the demolition and new construction of the sheepfold for a long time. The breaking point was that they had already started working without a permit.”
The judge called on the parties to find a solution as quickly as possible so that he no longer has to make a decision in this case. “Because it may well be that one of the parties, or perhaps both, doesn’t get along much with a statement.”
Judgment within six weeks, as a municipality and the Waterense couple do not come out jointly.