Parcel points at home will no longer be allowed in Etten-Leur from January. Until now, these types of points have been tolerated. These are located in residential areas, where people can have their packages delivered and then pick them up at a later time. But the municipality has announced that operators of such a point will soon receive a message ‘that they must terminate their activities’. Local residents complain about nuisance.
As far as we know, the municipality of Etten-Leur is the first municipality in our province to ban these types of home parcel points. According to the zoning plan, it is not allowed to have a collection point for parcels at home in Etten-Leur, but the ban has not been enforced so far.
The municipality is waiting with this enforcement until there is an alternative to the parcel points at home. These are so-called parcel cabinets that will be located in five locations throughout the municipality. These will be installed during November and from January onwards the municipality will check whether operators of home parcel points are adhering to the ban.
At a parcel box, people can collect their parcel with a code that is sent to them at a time that suits them.
Complaints from local residents
This is evident from the answers of the mayor and aldermen to questions from Leefbaar Etten-Leur about the issue. The party already addressed complaints from local residents about nuisance caused by home collection points in May.
At the beginning of September, the party asked the council again to solve the problems. According to municipal councilor Clasien de Regt, nuisance would only have increased. For example, she received a message from one parcel point that seventy parcels were collected every day. “And we’re not even talking about the vans that drive back and forth all day long,” local residents told her.
Double feeling about ban
De Regt says he is ‘somewhat disappointed’ that the parcel points at home in Etten-Leur are now disappearing. “The people who have such a point don’t really do it for the money. There is also a social aspect to it. Unfortunately, that is now disappearing,” she says. As far as she is concerned, the municipality should and could have taken measures much earlier to limit the nuisance. “For example, by limiting the number of days or hours that such a parcel point may be open,” she explains. “They let it run its course for far too long.”
She doubts whether the parcel lockers will be a success. “I hear that they are quite susceptible to fraud. I also foresee problems for New Year’s Eve when it comes to fireworks.” She therefore thinks that the popularity of collection points at stores will increase.
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