News item | 15-05-2023 | 4:00 pm
More than 11,000 residents participated in an online citizens’ consultation about the plans for the Lely line. The main outcomes are that residents consider it important that the Lely line provides a faster rail connection between the Northern Netherlands and the Randstad conurbation and that nature is affected as little as possible by the new rail connection. Residents of the Northern Netherlands consider it important that the line ensures equal opportunities and a stronger economy.
The consultation was commissioned by the Lelylijn project team. This is a collaboration between the central government and the regional authorities of the Northern Netherlands. It is the first time that residents are involved in infrastructural plans at such an early stage, normally there is room for participation only later in the process. The online consultation did not ask residents whether they are for or against the Lely line, but offered space to share preferences, concerns and ideas with the government.
State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen (Infrastructure and Water Management): “I am pleased that so many people have taken the trouble to complete the consultation and have passed on their ideas about the connection. With this research we have connected the kitchen table with the drawing board and that is invaluable. I think it is very important to know what residents want, what they expect and where their concerns lie. I will certainly take these results into account in the further development of the plans.”
King’s Commissioner René Paas (Groningen): “A fast Lely line with respect for nature and preservation of regional identity: that is a shared image from the consultation. The consultation also shows that the differences ‘how people think about the Lely Line’ between residents from the North and from the rest of the Netherlands are not great. The Lelylijn could well be the connection between the North and the rest of the Netherlands – and vice versa.”
Representative research
The results of the consultation are divided into three groups: a group that provides representative results for residents from all over the Netherlands, a group that provides representative results for residents from the Northern Netherlands, and the results of the open consultation that could be completed by anyone. There are no major differences between the two representative groups. What is striking is that the representative group from the Northern Netherlands considers stimulating a nice job, good accessibility and a strong economy more important. In the representative group of Dutch people, the stimulation of the train scores higher than the car and the plane.
The results of the open consultation deviate more from the representative groups. It is probably precisely people who want to use the connection or who have concerns about the line who have filled in the questions. A short travel time gets the highest rating in this group.
Many (sometimes detailed) ideas and concerns have also been provided through the online consultation. For example, people have less preference for a fast line if this leads to a lot of nuisance for local residents and there are few or no intermediate stations between Groningen/Leeuwarden and Amsterdam. In the continuation of the research into the Lely line, the results and ideas will be taken into account in the various alternatives that are being worked out. The advantages and disadvantages are mapped out for each possible route.
Follow-up
The plans for the Lely line still need to be worked out in more detail and a final decision on the construction of the Lely line has yet to be taken. The results of this research will be included in that elaboration. The participation process does not end with this online consultation either. An accessibility study is being carried out in which various basic alternatives are being investigated and research is being done into a development strategy for the entire area. In both studies, residents and organizations are consulted, such as entrepreneurs, educational institutions and social organizations.
The aim is for the national government and the region to jointly determine a preferred variant by the autumn of 2024 for which the corresponding funding has been found.