Walking with the dog along all these trees will soon no longer be possible, say Toine Smits and Berty Weernink. “This piece of forest is being cut down. And there is digging.” The golf course will be expanded, and there will be a large pond. For years, the neighbors, together with the Brabant Environmental Federation, have been angry about the expansion drive of The Duke, an exclusive golf club owned by Karel van Eerd, the big man at the supermarket company Jumbo, beautifully situated in the woods between Nistelrode and Heesch in Brabant.
At the end of the eighties, the first plots of forest were cleared to create golf courses. According to the Council of State, the course of events was unlawful at the time. Since then, a ‘salami tactic’ has also been applied, according to local residents: constantly grabbing a piece of nature. Even now, the damage to protected nature is limited to approximately one hectare. This is called a minimal intervention. But many minimal interventions add up to a big one,” says Toine Smits, emeritus professor of sustainable water management. Holidaymakers will soon have to walk around in a smaller forest. Badgers are also put to flight. And what is the expansion good for? “We were told that they want to make a qualitative impact.”
The battle for the forest next to The Duke is a harbinger of the way in which nature will be fought for in the coming years, Natuurmonumenten, the provincial landscapes, Vogelbescherming Nederland and Natuur & Milieu expect. Because despite all the fine words about nature protection in the coalition agreement of the new cabinet, the cabinet is making a ‘historical mistake’ as a result of which much nature will lose out against the ambitions to build recreation parks, homes, windmills, solar panels and roads in that nature. they think.
No, not in the European protected Natura 2000 areas, but in areas that are considered part of the Netherlands Nature Network (NNN). This counts as the ‘ecological backbone’ of the Netherlands, previously known as the Ecological Main Structure (EHS). In the new Environmental Act, that has been waiting for implementation for years, the ‘no, unless’ principle, which according to conservationists has prevented much misery, is formally abolished; the principle that no interventions may be carried out in this nature, unless it serves a ‘great social interest’ and ‘no alternatives’ are possible.
Deterrent effect
It is of great concern to director Teo Wams of Natuurmonumenten, among others. Wams: “It was a pretty effective rule, which not only stopped many plans for interventions in nature, but also prevented it. It had a deterrent effect: many plans were not submitted because that rule simply existed.”
In addition, protecting the nature network is not going so smoothly anyway. Wams: “The agreement is that the nature network must be completed by 2027. We’re not there yet. There needs to be a little extra. We need more than less protection.”
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Utrecht has also been arguing about a piece of nature for years. A project developer wants to transform the former site of the car company Hessing in De Bilt into a residential area with 130 houses, beautifully situated against and partly just within the boundaries of the Sandwijck estate – part of the Netherlands Nature Network. Hendrike Geessink walks in the English-style estate along lovely paths with rustic views, while discussing provincial nature policy. Geessink is head of policy and planning at Utrechts Landschap, which manages the estate and has been watching over this beautiful green area for years.
In anticipation of scrapping the ‘no-unless’ principle, the province has come up with something new; Intervening in nature is only allowed if that intervention as a whole offers nature ‘added value’. Geesink: „When will an area improve? How do you test that? That is very vague.”
Sandwijck is located in an ecological zone along the east of the city of Utrecht. “Important for such an urban area. Why build in such a sensitive area? We need this nature more than ever. It seems that the concept of added value was devised by the province to make much more possible in nature. While it is really better to be clear and say: this far and no further.”
The province tests the possible interventions against the ‘robustness’ and ‘coherence’ of the nature reserve, and they are affected, says Geessink. “This plan provides for extra nature elsewhere, as compensation. We don’t think that really outweighs the disruption here. It is also often comparing apples to oranges. The new district inserts into the nature reserve. The noise of such a neighborhood, such as a slamming door, a party, honking, has an effect on the habitat of animals, such as birds. They will avoid these areas. Ties will also have to choose other routes.”
Latest news: the plans have been shelved for the time being, despite previous approval from the province of Utrecht, because a councilor for the CDA in De Bilt, Margriet van de Vooren, unexpectedly and as the only one in her group voted against the zoning plan. The CDA has removed her from the list of candidates for the upcoming council elections. She was second. Anyway; perhaps the project developer will appeal or pull out an old plan for the construction of a hundred villas and apartments in a gated community – that plan does not affect greenery, and was once approved.
Some holes are too short
Whether other provinces, like Utrecht, will introduce the concept of added value to determine whether nature may be affected remains to be seen. Each province can decide for itself. “The government should take control. Especially now that the rural area will be reformed in the coming years,” says director Wams of Natuurmonumenten.
The province of North Brabant has already provisionally approved the expansion of the stately golf club in Nistelrode, to the horror of the activists. In a few months’ time, the city council will consider the plan, which was commissioned by Businessclub The Duke, in which it is described as “one of the most beautiful golf courses in the Netherlands” – mainly because of nature. The growth of the course is necessary to “attract business associates to join and meet at the golf club,” according to the plan. Commercial manager André van Heumen of The Duke: „We are sometimes told that some holes are very short. We want to extend it, also to be able to compete with other jobs, and for that we need two and a half hectares, of which one hectare is within the nature reserve. We have adhered to the conditions of the province.”
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The local residents grumble and argue that more hectares are being sacrificed. “More and more is allowed in the Netherlands,” says Smits, walking along a winding path that will no longer lead over the golf course. Smits: „I understand that you cannot lock the Netherlands in planning terms. But then you have to demonstrate usefulness and necessity. That didn’t happen here. Will this company go bankrupt if it doesn’t expand? Never seen a report.”
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Berty Weernink: „We do not want an expansion. Once upon a time, agreements were made that enough was enough. But it is never enough.” In addition, The Duke is already behaving “not wisely” in the current field, says Smits. “It is not a poor football club, but a wealthy club. The water consumption on these sandy soils is enormous. You can reduce that by 70 to 80 percent using existing techniques. That’s not happening. The municipality of Bernheze leases this land to the Van Eerd family, without additional requirements for water management and biodiversity. Why? That is stupid.”
According to local residents, the regional and local government is too weak and unstable to be able to protect nature without national rules. Smits: “You can bet it’s true that the disappearance of national rules will lead to the crumbling of the natural values that are still there.”
Oh yes, in a previous expansion of The Duke, in 2012, it was agreed that the lost nature would be compensated elsewhere. Smits: “Due to incorrect management, nothing has come of it.”
Manager Van Heumen of The Duke notes that many objections have indeed been submitted against the plans. “We’ve been trying to come to an agreement for a year. That did not work.” That hikers lose their familiar path should not be exaggerated, he thinks: “They will soon turn left instead of right.” According to him, the golf club treats nature with care. “There is nothing crazy going on here. Golf is nature.” Incidentally, the rules for compensating for nature are ‘not sickening’, according to Van Heumen. “So that, on balance, even nature is added.”