Is the solar park in Zuidvelde gaining momentum?

The plans for a solar park in Zuidvelde have been the subject of discussion for about a year and a half. At first, there was talk of a 135-hectare park, including groves and other natural elements. The province of Drenthe whistled back to the initiators and the municipality of Noordenveld and indicated that the park may not exceed 74 hectares.

In a letter from the initiators (Chint Solar, TP Solar and the Janssen brothers), they recently asked the Noordenveld municipality to speed up the permit procedure in Zuidvelde. In order to be eligible for a subsidy for clean energy, the permit must be completed before the autumn.

Bert van Halen, member of the core team in Zuidvelde, believes that the process has therefore gained momentum. “We were quite surprised about that,” he says. “We didn’t hear anything about the procedure for a while and suddenly the subject is on the council agenda. The new council has to make a decision on Wednesday, but when I look at the documents I doubt whether they have been able to properly assess everything by then. .”

Van Halen suspects that the new council wants to settle the issue surrounding the solar park quickly. “Then the money will again go above the participation and the area fund. Because no clear agreements have yet been made about the latter.”

The municipality of Noordenveld, through alderman Kirsten Ipema, earlier raised its concerns by saying that the participation had not gone well until now. “At the front we could have been clearer about our role in the process,” Ipema agrees. “After that, there was a lot of contact between the developers and the local residents. Whether they reached agreement is another point, but the neighborhood has been able to talk about various matters.”

According to Ipema, the frameworks for the area fund are not yet clear. “What is clear is that 25,000 euros per year will be deposited by the developers and the municipality into that area fund. This will take place for 15 years, but it is not yet clear what should happen with that money. in discussion with the developers. The local residents did not want to do this in advance, because they did not want to create the impression that they agreed with the construction of the solar park.”

Van Halen calls the 25,000 euros a year ‘a joke’. “That money would go to benches in our village. We can now also get it through the municipality. The local property, which the developers talk about so often, is also not properly arranged. Only the Janssen brothers have explicitly looked into this. with the neighbors.”

Alderman Ipema does not think that the process surrounding the solar park is now gaining momentum. “We have been busy assessing the plan for quite some time. A lot came in between, including the ‘goose story’. That has nothing to do with a new council, which would now suddenly want to quickly push through the permit.”

Originally, the council was supposed to discuss the solar park in mid-June. The meeting has now been moved to early June. “It would be a shame that the application breaks down in a few weeks,” says Ipema. “That’s why we moved the meeting forward a week.”

According to the alderman, residents will still have enough space to participate in the coming week. “We are in favor of that anyway. But the council has indicated that it wants to contribute to faster decision-making. If you can provide clarity earlier, you should do so.”

Van Halen will closely follow next week’s meeting. According to him, there are still quite a few snags to the plan. He also finds the input of local residents too meager. “We have always wanted to participate, but we still think the size of the park is too large. Little has been done with that input. The park was only reduced in size when the province of Drenthe got involved.”

Ipema indicates that the municipality is looking at how the participation went and what it has led to. “The discussion will certainly continue in the council,” she says. The mayor is also realistic. “The local residents want a much smaller park. It doesn’t seem to be going that way now.”