There may be room for a new residential area on the south side of Gieten. Prinsenveld BV owns a piece of land on the Gasselterweg, south of the Duurschen district, and wants to start building. The municipality and local residents have been informed about the plan.
“It is a site of ten hectares,” says initiator Sven-Erik Zandvoort of Prinsenveld BV. He does not yet know how many houses can be built there. But in the smaller adjacent Duurschen 1 district there are about a hundred homes. “We don’t yet have a picture of what the neighborhood should look like, except that it should be a mixed neighborhood. A mix of affordable homes, homes in the social sector and also houses in the private sector.”
The land is owned by the Prins family, Zandvoort’s in-laws. He wants to develop the new district himself with his own engineering firm. “Twenty to 25 years ago we were already discussing the construction of a residential area on this site, but the time was not yet ripe for it. Now there is a search for homes. The municipality of Aa en Hunze has been tasked with building eight hundred houses, so this is a possibility.”
The municipality of Aa en Hunze is open to this, says spokesperson Aline Bus. “In principle, we take a positive position on this. The housing shortage is high and this is a great opportunity to expand the village. But whether it goes ahead depends on what emerges from the various studies.”
Zandvoort currently calls his plan an idea. “We released the message early to provide clarity,” says Zandvoort. “We soon want to approach local residents about the planning process. In the spring they can submit their ideas and concerns and I then want to take steps in the design.”