If it is up to the municipality of Noordenveld, residents of eighteen holiday homes in the forest area ‘De Tip’ in Norg will soon have a permanent residential destination. This would put an end to years of tolerance by the municipality. The only objections to the plan come from the nearby camping and bungalow park De Norgerberg.
Owner Susan van Rijswijk fears that the transformation of the homes in De Tip (a collective name for the area around Postmaatseweg and Langeloërweg, ed.) could get in the way of De Norgerberg’s business operations.
A number of homes are located within a radius of 50 meters from her company. In the case of – for example – noise nuisance, someone with a residential destination has more rights than someone in a holiday home. According to Van Rijswijk, the relationship with local residents is currently good, “but you don’t know what will happen when the house is sold and people from the Randstad come to live.”
The entrepreneur thinks that new residents would be more likely to complain about noise nuisance, which could hinder her company. A year and a half ago, De Norgerberg submitted an opinion, after which the Noordenveld municipal council asked the council to come up with ‘a ruse’. In this way, both residents and De Norgerberg should come out together.
The council member who called for a ruse a year and a half ago is today an alderman. Robert Meijer (VVD) is even the responsible alderman and suddenly came up with a ruse after a short suspension.
He has promised to look into a possible revision of the zoning plan at one of the homes around De Norgerberg. It may be given a ‘dual purpose’: both recreational and residential.
“Furthermore, we are prepared to facilitate the discussion about the right of first purchase”, Meijer promised. In doing so, he meets De Norgerberg’s wish to be the first to enter into discussions when the homes are sold within 50 meters of the recreation company.
Campsite owner Van Rijswijk was happy afterwards with Alderman Meijer’s promise to look for a solution. “We are relieved that there seems to be a way that is workable and acceptable to both the neighbors and us. That is the most important thing to us.”
Ms Wolbers is also satisfied after the council meeting. She has been living in a house next to the campsite since 2008 and has been waiting for the permanent residential destination ever since. “That would put an end to a skewed situation, namely that half of the street has a residential destination and the rest does not.”
Wolbers also thinks that De Norgerberg should not fear too much for future residents. “I have lived here for fifteen years and have never had any problems with the campsite. De Norgerberg has made the entire area tidier since they took over the bungalow park. I see no reason to ever complain.”
According to Wolbers, the situation around De Norgerberg is the perfect example that permanent living and a recreation company can go hand-in-hand. Van Rijswijk in turn emphasizes that she sees that colleagues in the country sometimes have different experiences with this. “I think we are among the lucky ones where it has not escalated and now it is important to ensure that for the future.”
Next Wednesday, the Noordenveld city council will vote on De Tip’s transformation plan. It is expected that she will agree to the conversion from recreational use to residential use.