If it were up to the Drenthe fire brigade, a different location for the supermarket in Ter Borch would have been chosen. In 2016, they came up with an advice that clearly states that they consider the location for the supermarket – close to a school, care center and day care center – ‘not desirable’.
Albert Heijn wants to open a branch in Ter Borch in North Drenthe, on the border with Groningen. The arrival of a supermarket has been arguing for years in the Tynaarlo city council. Some residents in the area are also opposed to the plans. Although a case is still pending at the Council of State, the signals seem to be green for the supermarket.
An advice from the Safety Region Drenthe (VRD) from 2016 states that the VRD is particularly concerned about the location of a ‘pipeline’ in the ‘area of influence’. A pipeline is a pipe through which gases are transported. Because a supermarket of a total of 3,000 square meters is already classified as a ‘vulnerable object’, the fire brigade advised to move the supermarket.
Another option was to turn the supermarket around. ‘This reduces the chance of casualties in the event of a serious incident with the pipeline’, can be read in the fire service’s advice.
Although the advice of the fire brigade at the time was correct, the municipality of Tynaarlo came up with a different plan. Noortje van der Leek, spokesperson for Tynaarlo, refers to an extensive motivation from the municipality. In it, the municipality refers, among other things, to the statement of the Drenthe Safety Region that the chance of a serious incident is ‘very small’.
“The fire brigade understood the motivation,” says Van der Leek. “They agreed with the explanation of the municipality at the time.”
This week, about 200 local residents received a letter from opponents pointing out the possible dangers of a large supermarket. In it, the neighborhood is called upon to take up arms against the construction of a ‘supra-regional’ supermarket. The advice of the Safety Region Drenthe is also mentioned in this. In addition, questions are asked about the accessibility for the fire brigade of De Rietzanger child center and Woelwaters childcare.
The distributor of the letters has now forced a meeting with the municipality of Tynaarlo.