Politicians are not happy with how EuroParcs is modernizing holiday parks: Brink starts a conversation

In the debate, several parties expressed serious concerns and objections about how EuroParcs deals with tenants and owners of chalets and mobile homes that have to make way for new construction of holiday homes. Brink tempers the expectations of such a conversation beforehand. He has no legal options to adjust the course of events.

Renate Zuiker, leader of the Party for the Animals: “The scaling up of recreational parks has accelerated and that also applies to the petrification of parks. The EuroParcs method is: a quick makeover of purchased parks in which everything and everyone Existing residents and recreationists have to make way and nature is also being overhauled.” Zuiker refers, among other things, to the situation at Meerzicht on the Leekstermeer.

“People with a small wallet must make way for people with a larger wallet,” said Wim Moinat, party chairman of the SP. “The province has no idea of ​​a total increase in scale, only of individual plans for parks. We have to face this trend. Legally it is all possible and allowed, but you should not want this. Are we going to adjust or do we see this with sadness at?” Moinat gives as an example the owners of mobile homes on the Molenveld in Ruinen that have to make way for holiday homes.

Deputy Henk Brink: “Family companies that we cherish are indeed being taken over, but those kinds of concerns do have the possibilities to turn them into a more vital holiday park. Enlarging and petrification of holiday parks is therefore unavoidable. Chalets and mobile homes are no longer available. The market has changed. More luxurious houses are rented out earlier than houses of moderate quality.”

“But nature should not be harmed,” he continues. “But we are testing this. Where nature disappears, it must be compensated elsewhere, in some cases even double. I do not agree that this is at the expense of nature. Recreational entrepreneurs know that nature is their gold.” According to Brink, park owners who convert the park must simply comply with all rules for Natura 2000 areas or the Netherlands Nature Network if the park is located there.

The question from the PvdD and the SP is whether the conditions in the provincial environmental vision should be adjusted. Because according to both parties, this is the way to put a brake on takeovers of small-scale holiday parks in order to convert them into larger parks with only houses.

Brink: “The environmental vision for holiday parks is no different than with all other developments. We test against the core values ​​contained therein and then it is ‘yes, provided’. That is how we agreed at the time here in the Provincial Council.”

At the end of last year, EuroParcs took over Meerzicht. The holidaymakers were told that they must vacate their chalets and holiday homes at the end of this year. This fell raw on the roof of the owners of the 55 houses. They set up an association and seek support from the judge, the provincial government and the municipality of Noordenveld.

A number of parties believe that EuroParcs does not work properly. SP member Moinat: “It may be legal, but the question is whether you should want it that way.” Jos Schomaker on behalf of the PvdA: “EuroParcs may have treated residents of Meerzicht lawfully, but not fairly.” PVV’er Nico Uppelschoten also thinks that the residents are not treated properly by EuroParcs. Brink therefore enters into discussions with the holiday park company.

Uppelschoten warned both the Provincial Executive and the Drents parliament. “How big should tourism in Drenthe become? How much do we want? Marketing Drenthe also says that there are limits to the growth of tourism, because otherwise our core values ​​(peace, space, nature) will be affected too much. Are we the chicken slaughtering the golden eggs?”