“But there are also people who have bought a piece of land and who want to build a house. But yes, where are you going to do that if you are not sure what that residential area will look like. These are uncertain times for these people and farmers,” says Jansma.
And in terms of nature, meadow bird protector Rein Schonewille is also concerned about the plan. “It is a place where there are many meadow birds, there are ponds nearby where they can live comfortably. It should not cause the birds to be chased away.”
Councilor Niek Wind (Municipal Interests) understands the concerns, where he wants to add nuance. “We don’t force anyone to sell, but if you are going to sell, you must be the first to offer it to the municipality. That’s how it works. There is absolutely no question of expropriation.”
And that plan is still final; within the next three months the municipal council must give permission before Hoogeveen can use the pre-emptive right.
“The first area, Alteveer-West, has also been scaled five times as large as necessary for 500 houses. We did this deliberately so that later, if there are objections, we can draw up with the people how large the area will actually look. Then we also take the meadow birds and nature into account,” says the councilor.
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