The Hallenhoes in Exloo will be built after all. The first shovel went into the ground on Zuiderhoofdstraat on Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednesday evening, residents in hotel-restaurant Het Wapen van Exloo were informed about the final plans for the Hallenhoes. Brands Bouw from Emmen is building the new multifunctional building opposite the Schutrups shoe store and Kabouterland play park. The construction of the surrounding square is in the hands of Avitec from Nieuw-Buinen.
“The Hallenhoes must become an attraction for people from the village and tourists,” said Wil Luchjenbroers on Wednesday evening. She is chairman of the village council and has been involved in the project since the beginning.
In any case, the building will soon have to house the sheepfold shop, the Tourist Information Point and a ‘science hub’ and escape room of the Astron radio astronomical institute. A space will also be set up for catering. There will be ‘natural play elements’ for children on the square.
Frits Heukers, chairman of the responsible Management Foundation Het Plein, and village council chairman Wil Luchjenbroers, spiritual mother of the project, want to attract visitors of all ages with the Hallenhoes. Especially young people, who are a difficult group to reach, according to Heukers. “An escape room, for example, is great fun for groups aged 12 to 16. It offers something extra in the village that is not there yet.”
Doubts about budget and guarantee
The Hallenhoes will be built on the spot where the Bebinghehoes, a Saxon hall house farm from 1722, burned down in 2017. The site has been fallow since then. The new multifunctional building with thatched roof is being built in the style of the old monumental farm.
The building has a turbulent history. Since 2018, there has been a lot of discussion about what to do with the bald spot in the village. Should there be housing, or should there be a facility for everyone?
Moreover, last year the municipal council had doubts about the budget on which construction and operation are based. That would not be conclusive. Several parties mentioned in the budget, including the Schaapskudde Exloo Foundation, informed DVHN that they knew nothing. Schaapskooi chairman Hugo Ouwendijk has now announced that he is in discussions with the management foundation about establishing the Schaapskooi store in the Hallenhoes. “We haven’t signed anything yet, but we certainly see the Hallenhoes as added value for the village.”
Apart from the operation, part of the council was not satisfied with the guarantee of 450,000 euros that councilor Henk Zwiep (PvdA) wanted to provide for the construction. A group of local anonymous entrepreneurs had requested this. That anonymity irritated some council members. A majority ultimately agreed to provide guarantor.
Heukers is not concerned about finances. “With the quotes from Brands and Avitec, we simply stay within budget. Of course, things can always go wrong, but we have no reason to assume that we will go over budget.”
‘BN’er must open it’
Despite the difficulties, the design of the building received approval from the public present on Wednesday evening. During the presentation by architect Bas van Ruth of Architektenburo Van Ruth from Dwingeloo, an approving ‘nice’ was heard several times in the room.
There was a critical note here and there. For example, an older man wondered whether the Hallenhoes would not be at the expense of the village hall. No, Wil Luchjenbroers assured him. “The village hall really has a group of regular users. It even gets dressed up a bit more. It is still widely used.”
According to Frits Heukers, 80 percent of the building is filled with the Tourist Information Point, the sheep herd shop and the Astron science hub. “We want to be flexible with the remaining 20 percent. Suppose the Landwinkel wants to do something, or Schutrups wants to hold a container sale. We want to leave room for that.
If everything goes according to plan, the Hallenhoes will open its doors on May 16 next year. And an ambitious building requires an ambitious opening, says Luchjenbroers. “We want a celebrity to open the Hallenhoes.”