A majority of the council in Hoogeveen still believes that the construction of Nijstad-Oost can be done faster. The houses will soon have to be heated with hydrogen, but preparing this will take too long, according to many politicians. They argue for a different energy source. The municipal council states that hydrogen is not the problem.
In particular, the allocation of the land, special yards with space for several houses, is delaying the arrival of Nijstad-Oost, according to the municipality. People have to register together on a property, and that has not yet proven to be a success. The issuing of these plots of land will start soon. Hoogeveen wants to offer the remaining land to project developers. This should accelerate construction of the new residential area.
“The VVD faction is almost starting to believe that construction will happen after all,” faction leader Ronald Klok said. “But the words ‘gradually’ and ‘eventually’ are used again and again. And those words do not indicate speed, but that should be the case. There is a housing shortage and the houses must be built.”
The VVD, the CDA, Municipal Interests and the SGP therefore came up with a motion to look at options to accelerate the construction of Nijstad-Oost. This includes moving away from hydrogen and looking at other forms of energy, such as electricity. “But if the yards are a delaying factor, we also have to see whether that is a good plan,” Klok said.
The municipal council says it is taking into account the fact that hydrogen may cause delays. However, this has not been observed. Only once the land of the yards has been divided does Hoogeveen want to see whether hydrogen really poses an obstacle to the speed of the construction of Nijstad-Oost. Hydrogen therefore remains the priority.
One hundred homes in the existing Erflanden district must also switch to hydrogen. Both projects are connected and there are major interests involved. “These components are closely related to the associated business case,” the council previously said.
Koen Meesters of the Christian Union emphasized this again. “A lot of money has gone into this project. What are the risks if we stop the hydrogen project now? That is too big a risk for the Christian Union.” His party therefore did not agree to the motion.
Bert Otten of the CDA announced that his party is not against the use of hydrogen. He just believes that more sustainable forms of energy should be looked at than just hydrogen. The SGP agreed with those words.
Meesters wondered if hydrogen is not used whether the construction of Nijstad-Oost would take longer. “When will you be ready faster? I have no idea, we have been working since 2018. It is time for clarity,” Klok responded.