Plans for solar panel park in Lauwe are only warmly received

The park must generate electricity for an equivalent of 4,000 families. The housing company is realizing the project to reduce the energy bills of social tenants. Sonny Ghesquière, Woonmaatschappij Impuls: “We also want to open it up to the neighborhood and also want to give some of that energy back to the neighborhood.”

But the land is located in a residential area and many local residents are concerned. At an information meeting there was a barrage of questions and criticism. Many people especially want more green. “One says: ‘Okay, put a forest on that land. That’s also good for nature. That’s right. But the tenant and the neighborhood have less use for it, feel it less in their wallet. And we want to do something that people are going to feel it in their wallets.”

Many local residents also fear nuisance during the construction of the park, the work and the many trucks that arrive with parts. The Housing Association will continue to consult with the neighborhood to create greater support for the solar park.