Comedian Karin Bruers may continue with the construction of a hotel with vegan restaurant in the Oisterwijk woods. The judge ruled on Thursday that she was not violating any environmental rules. A penalty of 50,000 euros is also off the table.
The problems started when Bruers’ neighbors, Jan and Monique Meurs, went to court. Meurs became big with the Lekker en Laag supermarket in Tilburg. They run brasserie Ome Jan right next to Bruers’ plot. According to them, Bruers’ plan does not fit within the zoning plan. The judge decided that construction had to be stopped immediately because there were too many nitrogen emissions. A big downer for Bruers.
“The Sint Jan was also built without nitrogen”
But she came up with a ruse: she would build the first hotel and restaurant without nitrogen emissions: “Digging with a shovel and working with electrical equipment and electric vans. The Sint Jan was also built without nitrogen, so why couldn’t we do that?” she explained.
Yet things went wrong. Bruers had the wooden skeleton of the hotel delivered: “The municipality allowed it, because that is not building.” So a truck came to the site three times to deliver items. Bruers: “But neighbor Meurs had filmed it and sent to the province. Then I received a penalty of 50,000 euros.”
“I think I can continue building in a month.”
The penalty is now off the table. Bruers is very relieved: “But I have to go back to the bank and so on. I think I can continue building in a month.”
The matter is not yet completely settled. Because Jan Meurs has also objected to the parking lot at the new hotel. According to the municipality, visitors to the Oisterwijk forests are also allowed to park their cars there. That still causes nitrogen emissions. But B and W van Oisterwijk have reassured Bruers. It is expected that this issue will no longer throw a spanner in the works.
