Today at 3:09 PM • Updated today at 3:50 PM
A renovation of a monumental farm in Hilvarenbeek is becoming quite a soap opera. Owners and the municipality have been at odds with each other for ten years. This is escalating now that councilor Piet Machielsen is reporting the destruction on Thursday. The residents, in turn, don’t let it go. “I will not let a councilor hoist me onto the shit cart.”
It’s all about ‘De Groote Hoef’, an old farm on the Gorp en Roovert estate in Hilvarenbeek. The farm was on the monument list. It was, because when the thatched roof and shutters disappeared, the municipality decided to remove the farm from the list.
Libel and slander
The owners had to learn from the news that the municipality is now filing a report. “This is libel and slander,” says the farm owner. “The councilor is doing everything he can to smear us.” The responsible councilor refuses to respond to Omroep Brabant himself and refers to the communications department.
“We are reporting this because the monument was not handled carefully,” a spokesperson then explains. “We want to send a clear signal: damaging or degrading municipal monuments is unacceptable and has consequences.”
What preceded it?
The story starts about ten years ago when ‘De Groote Hoef’ was purchased. The new owners know that they are buying a monument and that they must adhere to strict rules. Permits are issued, but the municipality makes mistakes. The province must intervene and the owners must make new drawings and reapply for permits.
“It can happen, mistakes are made,” the owner responds matter-of-factly. But two years ago, construction was halted by the municipality for fourteen months. Unjustified, as the objection committee later found out.
The renovation was almost finished when municipal enforcers came by. The inside and outside appearance would have been different than what was specified in the permit. For example, walls, floors and window frames would have been replaced and the roof would be different. “We would no longer have a thatched roof, but that was allowed according to the permit. We could choose between tiles, thatch or a combination,” explains the owner.
Mistakes made by the municipality or by the owner?
But the municipality believes that there is no longer any monumental value and removes the farm from the monument list. “They now say that we have demolished a monument,” says the owner indignantly. “Everything went according to the permit from the municipality and monument conservation. They are also talking about shutters that are gone, but they are just ready to be hung back. It’s not finished yet!”
According to the owner, the municipality has made mistakes that they are now blaming on him. The municipality looks at this differently: “In this case, the owners deviated from the conditions set by the committee and made changes without consulting the municipality.”
The owner of the former monumental farm believes that the declaration does not hold water. “The police will ultimately laugh at him with such a rubbish story. We stuck to the rules of the game. The municipality changed them during the game.”
The owners should have lived there for years, that was the intention. Now they are forced to live in an outbuilding next to the ‘Groote Hoef’. “We are now completing the renovation. We certainly still want to live there despite all the hassle. Hopefully we can move in in six months.”
The owners of the house have now hired a lawyer and will hold the municipality of Hilvarenbeek liable. A complaint is being prepared against the municipality for defamation and slander. “So I do not accept this. I will not let an alderman hoist me onto the shit cart.”
