Eelde has changed little in the past 25 years, notes former mayor Pieter van Veen on Saturday. And that’s a pity, he says. But there is progress.
The municipality of Tynaarlo has existed for a quarter of a century now and the organization of the Eelder Annual Market saw a good reason to ask both Pieter van Veen, mayor of Eelde-Paterswolde at the time of the merger, and his distant successor Marcel Thijsen to perform the official opening act. And so it happened.
Lederhosen
Eelde was bustling on Saturday, the shopkeepers did their best to make something of it. The theme Germany just didn’t come out very well, but yes, it was also too hot to wear Lederhosen. And drinking a lot of beer is also not wise. However, Van Veen Thijsen and alderman Jurryt Vellinga (Leefbaar Tynaarlo) rubbed in subtly that little has come of the refurbishment of the Eelder village centre. The dilapidated Doedens building may have been demolished, but nothing has come of new construction at that central location. While the discussion about this had already been going on for about ten years when Van Veen was still mayor.
Time and again the interests of project developers, shopkeepers and residents of Eelde seem to clash. But there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Architect Aat Vos of bureau Includi had a stand at the market on Saturday and invited passers-by to participate in a study into what the inhabitants want with their village. Together with all kinds of other consultations, it must result in a Master Plan. Where have we heard that before, the skeptical locals will say, but perhaps this deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Make a profit
“The problem is always that a project developer simply has to make a profit,” says Vos. “This usually does not go well with what residents want. The developer then wants to build more apartments, making the plan too massive for the residents. We are now going to see how much money is needed to make the residents’ plan profitable for the project developer. That money would then have to be added to the municipality or a fund for village development.”
Of course, the money is not there for the taking at the town hall in Vries, but it may still lead to Marcel Thijsen when he comes to open the annual market on the 50th anniversary of his municipality, to find a renewed village center.