There will be no solar panels in the parking lot on the Schapenveenweg in Emmen. This means that the municipality must still deliver the site ‘clean’ to landowner WMD. The estimated costs are 650,000 euros.
The Centrum Zuid 2 car park on the Schapenveenweg was constructed in 2016 as an overflow, so that the Wildlands zoo would have enough parking spaces even during peak times. The land was leased from water company WMD for a period of ten years. Last year, the lease was extended by two years, so that WMD could investigate whether it could install solar panels on the ground.
With these solar panels, the water company would provide power to the nearby drinking water supply on the Noordbargeres. However, WMD has decided not to do so, says spokesperson Andries Ophef. The land becomes part of the water extraction area again.
According to a spokesperson for the municipality of Emmen, clearing the asphalt should start early next year. “We assume that we can transfer the site to the WMD in the first half of next year.” The spokesperson could not yet say whether the costs for this would now be higher. The contract with the water company runs until the end of 2027.
The construction of the parking lot cost three million euros at the time. It never became profitable. Due to lack of use, the site costs the municipality 400,000 to 500,000 euros annually in rent, management and maintenance. This led to the municipality choosing not to renew the contract.
The independent Court of Audit Emmen conducted a broader investigation into parking policy. This showed that visitors generally experience parking in the center as positive and that supply and demand are in balance. The Court of Audit does note that the municipality focuses on parking in garages, while in practice parking is mainly on the street.
Apart from the site on the Schapenveenweg, the municipality has its parking finances in good order. Although making a profit is not a goal, Emmen will earn approximately one million euros in parking fees by 2024. The Court of Audit does advise that the policy needs to be updated, goals must be made more concrete, stakeholders must be involved more systematically and the municipality must monitor the parking situation better.
According to the Court of Audit, both the mayor and aldermen and the municipal council want to examine the parking policy “more fundamentally” at a later date.
