Hans Wenke has lived in the area for 52 years. This makes him the longest-living resident of Nijentap. He watches it with sorrow. “This is the most beautiful place. I will never leave here again.” He enjoys the peace and nature in the area. “I sometimes have friends who come here to spend the night. They sometimes can’t sleep because of the silence. That says enough.” He wonders if it is all possible. “I don’t know if this is a good thing financially.”
He is upset about the municipality’s communication. “Abysmal. You couldn’t speak of communication three years ago.” He has more confidence in the new councilor, Klaas de Vries. “That doesn’t mean I agree with him. But he seems honest to me.” Henk and Alien also see an improvement in communication. “There is now communication, which is better. But the news about the theme park suddenly came out of the blue, while it had already been hanging over the market for a few years.”
So communication seems better, but is not yet perfect. Ilka van der Poel: “They only come by with bad news. So communication? It’s actually more like communicating.”
Residents would have preferred to know earlier that there were plans for the area. “If we had been told this immediately, we would not have bought and renovated this farm. Then we would have saved ourselves this stress,” says Marco Vermeer. In the meantime, it is quiet for a while at Rudolf and Paulien Stapel. They think about whether they would have built the new stable, with today’s information. “Yes, it was. It was necessary at that moment and standing still means going backwards,” says Rudolf.
They prefer to see nothing change in the area. “But if something is going to happen, keep it small,” is their message. “I don’t like windmills either,” sighs Marco Vermeer. “Then install solar panels. If you place sixty hectares of solar panels here, the energy issue is immediately solved.” He doesn’t want the theme park. “It sounds megalomaniac, like a prestige project,” adds Ilka van der Poel. “This will cause nuisance. Light, noise and traffic nuisance.”
Paulien and Rudolf Stapel point out that an industrial estate comes and expands gradually, while the theme park suddenly appears. “That’s a whole different story.” Hans Wenke notes that it comes from both sides. “Suppose that park is built and you still have farmers here. If that farmer has to fertilize, the guests at the park will really notice that.” No, the residents are quite open to a little change in the area, if it is really necessary. “The world is changing,” Alien Jalvingh responds. Hans Wenke: “It is a unique area. I call this cultural-historical agricultural. You really shouldn’t do anything about it. You should stay away from it. And if you do want to do something here, communicate with everyone.”
Tomorrow, several residents of the area will speak during the municipal council, when it discusses the plans in the area.