Only events related to equestrian sports may be organized on the grounds of the Concours Hippique De Wolden in Veeningen. That is the ruling of the District Court of the Northern Netherlands. Local residents went to court because the municipality of De Wolden left the possibility open for other activities in the permit for the site. Among other things, for a maximum of three events per year with amplified music. The protestors feared that this would cause a lot of inconvenience.
However, the court has now ruled in their favour, which means that organizing events that have nothing to do with equestrian sports is no longer possible. The municipality of De Wolden must also reimburse the costs of the case. The municipality can still choose to appeal to the Council of State.
The concerns of the local residents have been there for a number of years. In October 2019, the municipality issued a permit that, in addition to equestrian events, allowed a maximum of five other events to take place on the site, three of which allowed amplified music. Twelve meetings could also be held annually in another warehouse at the location. In addition to the noise nuisance, local residents also feared traffic nuisance.