The residents responded emotionally to the proposal to make the village of Moerdijk disappear at the information meeting on Tuesday evening. “This evening I will really find a slaughterhouse,” says one man. “We are completely unprepared for the announcement you made tonight. I hope the council will step down.”
Mayor Aart-Jan Moerkerke calls it his ‘most difficult decision’ ever as mayor. “You’re not a Moerdijker,” an angry resident shouts at the mayor, who was born in Rotterdam. “This is of no use to you.” Moerkerke says that he is indeed not a Moerdijker. “But I understand your emotion. I see the pain behind the tears.”
Another resident who has lived in Moerdijk for five years now is concerned about the grave of her 85-year-old neighbor’s husband. The municipality said that valuable items will be stored virtually. “That’s not possible,” she says indignantly. “Is there any guidance at all for these people? They go home with a heavy heart.”
She calls the evening a ‘real mockery’. “This is now being pushed through: ‘hop’ please.” Others in the room are crying. Surplus is available for guidance. Someone who was a volunteer in the village for a long time is sad. “But we have to deal with it.”
“The council is conspicuous by its absence. I find that really sad.”
A man notices that the city council is conspicuous by its absence. “They see what is happening here, how much emotion is here. Then they are conspicuous by their absence. I find that really sad.” Another resident feels like a lamb loaded into the truck, unable to enjoy the food, but standing in front of the slaughterhouse. “This evening I really find a slaughterhouse,” he says. “We are completely unprepared for the announcement you made tonight.”
“We can imagine that emotion,” the mayor responds. “I can understand that it falls like a bomb.” He emphasizes that no final decision has yet been made. “We are trying to get the power strip in the municipality, but no plugs have been installed yet.”
The municipality wants to remove the eastern part of Moerdijk to make way for the expansion of the port and industry. Residents could ask questions about what will happen to homes and graves. The municipality says it wants to ensure fair compensation for residents. Construction of new energy stations will start in 2028. These should be ready by 2033.
