After nine years the Huub van Leijsen finally succeeded. His recreation park Pukkemuk can expand. The province agreed on Friday with a loan to expand the park with holiday homes. “I was very happy, but also emotional,” the entrepreneur says proudly the next morning.
A day after the positive decision of the province, the sun shines before the recreation park in Dongen and owner Huub radiates like never before. “I am very happy that it will finally take place.”
The owner is referring to the commitment of the Provincial States on the loan to build a holiday park. “Now that the time has finally come, it will be quite exciting,” he says. “You have worked for a long time and now we can realize it.”
The expansion plans are already nine years old. The recreational parlor owner was originally borrowed nine million from the province. “But that was against strict conditions and 6.7 percent interest. They were afraid that we could go bankrupt.”
“She died in the knowledge that our park was left to his fate.”
The then decision of the province came in hard with Huub and his wife Jocky. “My wife was an accountant herself. She said I shouldn’t do it and that they would take everything away.”
“She knew for sure that the province had made a calculation error,” Huub says about his wife. She suffered from muscle disease as she died a little after the decision. “She died in the knowledge that our park was left to his fate.”
A difficult year followed for the parke owner. “I walked like a zombie in the world. I didn’t know where I was. My staff helped me enormously.”
“I was very happy, but also emotionally that my wife was no longer able to experience it.”
Later it turned out that the province had made a calculation error and that the park could not get a favorable loan. “At the beginning of 2024, deputy Stijn Smeulders came to drink coffee. At least I thought so, but he came to apologize.”
The rest happened. The province recovered its fault and on Friday it turned out that the expansion could continue. “The whole council clapped after taking the decision. I was very happy, but also emotionally that my wife was no longer able to experience it,” says Huub with tears in his eyes. “Although I know for sure that she would be watching and be extremely proud.”
“We want the shovel to go into the ground in a few weeks.”
Pukkemuk will have a holiday park with sixty holiday homes. A considerable expansion for the Huub recreation park and so he now has help from Krijn Beek. He is also very happy with the positive result. “We slept very well tonight.”
Huub’s right hand is therefore very excited to be able to implement the plans. “We are very satisfied and can’t wait to start. We want the shovel to go into the ground in a few weeks, so that’s why we will already start preparations next week.”
Price increases has increased the loan to 12.5 million. “What the interest is going to be is not yet known, but at least acceptable much lower than the offer we received first.”
Both men have faith in a happy ending. “If you always keep looking at the past with your face, you stand with your back to the future,” Huub concludes with its own saying.
