Residents of bungalow park Wico in Schoonoord are taking action against imminent eviction from their homes. The municipality of Coevorden only allows recreation here. Residents were informed by letter in March that the municipality will enforce. But residents are not going to give up easily. On Tuesday evening, the case was discussed during the committee of the municipality of Coevorden.
Resident Melanie Oostwoud spoke on behalf of a group of concerned residents. Some, dressed in T-shirts bearing the name of the park, attended the meeting. Oostwoud himself has been living in a bungalow at the Wico park since October 1. She has been looking for a home since last spring. Her gaze finally fell on the holiday resort in Schoonoord. She foresaw no problems with that.
Because permanent living will probably be allowed in a park such as the Ermerzand. “If it is not possible to fully restore the recreational destination there, then it will certainly not work at Wico”, was her impression. “There are no facilities, no catering or playground in the park.” In short, an unsuitable candidate for a makeover. That is why she signed the purchase contract with confidence.
In March, a letter from the municipality landed on the doormat of the 67 bungalows present. In short, the municipality will enforce permanent residence. Only recreational stays would be allowed in the future.
The contents fell to Oostwoud rather raw on the roof. After all, living in the park has been more or less ‘tolerated’ for years. She then went through zoning plans and program contracts. “The latter document clearly states that the owners of the cottages and the landowner must first make a plan for the future together. But I do not read that intent in the letter. There it is exactly the reverse order: first enforcement and then We have just worked on a plan with all parties involved.”
She doesn’t know how long she can stay. “That is completely unclear to me. But if I had known all this, I would never have bought this house.” Discussions have already taken place between the municipality and individual residents. According to Oostwoud, some residents sometimes experience this as intimidating. “Or it leads to sleepless nights. Some residents have stuck their bags. Or they are constantly behind their computer to find another place to live as quickly as possible.”
Oostwoud and six other residents are now planning to set up an owners’ association. In that case, this platform can act as a discussion partner towards the municipality. “Recently I set up an information meeting, which 45 people attended. Everyone thought the same about the state of affairs. At the moment there is dual residence (permanent living and recreational residence). A situation that must be maintained was according to Oostwoud, the general opinion.
The land on which the cottages stand is owned by Janneke Lampe, whose family has run the campsite since 1963. According to her, about half of the houses are permanently inhabited. According to her, the owners now feel placed in front of the block. Lampe also says that he is ‘unpleasantly surprised’ by the letter. “It’s not going according to plan. The municipality was supposed to organize a residents’ meeting in February. Instead, we get this letter.”
In addition, according to Lampe, going back to a purely recreational function is no longer feasible for Wico. “A study in 2017 showed that Wico is no longer vital in that respect. There are no more facilities, the houses are all privately owned, which may all look different. How do you want to approach it? Where should the investment come from to make all this possible. Besides, you can’t compete with a Roompot park.” Lampe thinks in the same way as Oostwoud: stick to dual use.
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