“Failure to comply with the mill biotope can ultimately mean the death knell for our mill,” says chairman Erik Nefkens of the Molen de Weert foundation in Meppel. The board of the mill has submitted an objection against the construction of two apartment complexes on the plot of the former KPN location on Weerddwarsstraat.
This concerns a total of 43 rental apartments of 50 square meters, for starters and seniors. According to the board members, the zoning plan does not take sufficient account of the mill biotope, the environment that influences the proper functioning of the mill. With a planned building height of 16.34 meters, the maximum permitted height of 13.66 meters will be well exceeded.
Wind climate
Molen de Weert is a production mill that runs without any subsidies. The main source of income is the sale of our own products that are produced and sold by volunteers. Without this income, according to the chairman, it would be impossible to maintain the mill. The arrival of the apartments hinders production: “It is vital that we can run according to the wind. The new construction will greatly hinder the wind climate. At 16.34 meters, the buildings are simply too high,” says Nefkens. “In fact, according to the mill biotope, the buildings may not even exceed 13.66 meters.”
Reason for the board to submit a notice of objection and thus send a signal to the municipality. “It is really not our intention to prevent housing, but this is making it increasingly difficult to keep the mill running. Now it concerns this new construction project, but soon another building will be built that influences the wind. Consider, for example, the new construction plans for the Ogterop theater, which is also expected to increase considerably in height.
The expected new construction is yet another barrier for the flour mill, says Nefkens. In the past, various obstacles have been created or built around the mill that have significantly deteriorated the wind climate. “This is not going well, so there will be nothing left of the mill biotope.”
Help requested
In 2022, the municipality of Meppel had an independent study carried out into the mill biotope surrounding the new construction project on Weerddwarsstraat. However, the research shows that the planned developments do not cause any change in the current wind climate. A conclusion that, according to the board members of the Molen de Weert Foundation, raises many questions.
The board subsequently called in the help of the Drentse Molenstichting and the Hollandsche Molen foundation. Both parties also conducted research into the mill environment and came to the conclusion that the construction of the apartment complexes does influence the wind climate and therefore does not comply with the established mill biotope: ‘The conclusion is that the planned development on the Weerddwarsstraat affects the mill biotope of the mill. De Weert and the De Vlijt mill in Meppel. De Hollandsche Molen is of the opinion that the construction plan causes too much wind obstruction on both mills.’
De Hollandsche Molen also writes that there are several incorrect calculations in the municipality’s report. For example, the difference in level, the wind turbulence, the windage and the grinding capacity of both mills would not have been taken into account. “The fact that the mill is one meter lower than the ground on which the apartments will be built has also not been taken into account. This means that the buildings will even be four meters too high,” Nefkens emphasizes.
Not against housing construction
The foundation therefore emphatically asks to be taken seriously by the municipality. The report from the Drentse Molenstichting and the Hollandsche Molen is included in the submitted notice of objection, which is now with the municipality of Meppel. Chairman Nefkens: “Again, we are not against housing construction, but the mill biotope is not being used properly. That is the basis of our objection.”
The mill foundation is not the only one that has objections to the plans. Local residents are also concerned about the arrival of the apartments. For example, there are concerns about the historic value of the city center, the height of the new complexes to be built and the increasing parking pressure.
The area surrounding the old KPN site has been in the picture as a construction location since the beginning of 2008. Concept developer Sjoerd Knol of Lithos construction & development and Zenzo Maatschappelijk Vastgoed calls the project, called De Groene Pleinen, an enrichment for the city center of Meppel. “In our view, this is a wonderful plan.”