The texts on the hay bales along the Bredestraat in Breda-Noord are clear: ‘No houses’, ‘Stop cheating municipality of Breda!’ Farmer Richard Verhaaf makes no bones about it: he is against the construction of 180 temporary homes next to his farm in the countryside.
Breda is struggling with a major housing shortage and has five locations in and around the city in mind to build 750 ‘temporary’ homes. And temporary is for 15 years. One of the places in the picture is a field along Bredestraat, close to the high-speed line and the A16 motorway.
“This is really madness.”
Richard shows an information letter from the municipality, in which the numbers and target groups are already mentioned for the Bredestraat location. “Here we are talking about 180 homes for status holders, psychiatric patients and students. A total of about 500 new residents here in the outlying area, far away from all facilities and educational institutions. And housing status holders far away from the city has no effect either to do with integration. This is really madness,” he says.
What also bothers farmer Richard is that farmland is once again being sacrificed for urbanization. “We have also had to deal with the arrival of the high-speed line, the widened A16 motorway and towering windmills that have recently been erected here.”
“I have to get the hay bales away.”
Richard is driven. Especially if he is called by the municipality during the interview. After the phone call: “I have to remove the hay bales, because they are standing along the road and that is municipal land. The bales with protest texts in the field must also be removed, because that is leased land of the municipality.” He agrees, but his protest is certainly not over. “I just put them on my own ground and that can also be seen from the road.”
“We understand that the plan for the temporary housing can evoke emotions”, the municipality of Breda responds. That is why a so-called participation survey is being conducted among the residents of the 46 surrounding homes. “An advisory group has been put together for the investigation that thinks along with us and gives advice in the spring. This is discussed in the municipal executive. The input of all local residents is included in the final report,” said the municipality.
