The rising tensions at the Parc de Kievit recreation park in Baarle-Nassau appear to be calming down after a firm ruling by the judge. Park owner Eric van Veggel received no response on Wednesday in his attempt to pressure a group of residents to sign a new park agreement. The judge ruled that the residents in question must remain connected to essential services such as sewerage, water and electricity, and that their access to the park cannot be restricted.
The conflict escalated in early November, when seven homes in the park were cut off from the sewer and dozens of residents’ access passes were blocked. Van Veggel took this drastic step after some residents refused to sign a new agreement, which included higher park charges. Two weeks ago, the residents filed summary proceedings. Although Van Veggel reversed the measures a day before the hearing, the judge saw no reason to consider the conflict resolved.
Right clear
The facilities must remain fully guaranteed, the judge decided. Van Veggel may not use such closures or blockages again in the future as a means of pressure. If he does so, he risks significant fines. “It is a statement that we are happy with,” responds Willem Zwalve, chairman of the Parc de Kievit Interest Association. “The residents are relieved that this threat has been removed. It ensures more peace in the park. We look to the future with optimism and hope for good consultation on the new park agreement.”
Van Veggel appears resigned after the ruling, although he had hoped for more understanding from the judge. He acknowledges that his approach was harsh: “By intervening on the facilities, I chose the short and risky route to convince owners to at least pay for their facilities. I realize that this did not make me popular as a manager, but in the end more than half of the almost 130 owners complied.”
New consultation
Yet the park owner also sees prospects. According to him, the goal has largely been achieved now that a significant number of residents have agreed. He says he trusts that the remaining residents will still ‘take their responsibility’ and join a new scheme, so that other residents will not have to pay the costs.
The judge’s ruling appears to have laid the foundation for renewed consultation between the parties. Both the interest group and Van Veggel emphasize that they want to prevent the park from repeating previous financial problems. “Everyone now realizes that a bankruptcy, such as the park has had before, is not desirable,” says Van Veggel. This seems to clear the way for discussions that should definitively restore peace at Parc de Kievit.