Permanent residents at Wico in Schoonoord are resisting the threat of eviction, now that the municipality of Coevorden only wants to allow recreation at their bungalow park. About half live there all year round.
Following the example of holiday parks in Erm, the municipality has recently launched a hunt for illegal occupancy of bungalows on Wico. All owners of the nearly seventy houses have received a letter in which the municipality writes that permanent residence will be terminated. This has led to unrest and panic among owners, some of whom had only recently bought a house.
Like Melanie Oostwoud. “Yes, I knew that the zoning plan speaks of recreation. But for decades people live here permanently. In the period that I wanted to buy my house I did research. Nowhere could I read that the municipality only wants to allow recreation at this park. No one at the park itself knew about the plans. And why was I not warned when I passed on my new address of the bungalow park to the municipality? And where should I go next?”
Stuck
Just like in Erm, residents are given some time to find an alternative home. Anyone who gets into trouble can call on Social Welfare Coevorden for support. But ‘get out’ irrevocably remains the message. Anyone who does not listen will be fined. The shelters may only be used for recreation or as a second home.
The basis for this approach is the Vital Holiday Parks project, in which Drenthe municipalities want to better meet the wishes of current and future tourists. In some parks, such as Ermerzand bungalow park in Erm, permanent residence will soon be allowed. But not at most other parks in the municipality of Coevorden, such as Primo, Secundo and Ermerstrand, also in Erm. There, residents are summoned to pack their things. Elsewhere in Drenthe, the picture is often the same, as is the anger.
‘Don’t draw up a plan together’
The cottages on Wico are all privately owned. The land is owned by Janneke Lampe. Her grandfather and grandmother started building houses in 1963. “In 2017 we were approached by the municipality to talk about the bungalow park. In the years that followed, we tried to get in touch with the municipality, something that only succeeded in March 2022. Since then, the message has always been that the municipality has already made the decision. Nothing to draw up a plan together, nothing to talk about,” says Lampe.
That while research from 2017 showed that Wico has no recreational future. Lampe: ,,Very poor quality and no perspective, was the conclusion. We were even a bit offended by certain sentences from that study.”
Dated and dirty
‘The appearance of the park is overdue, dated and dirty. Barking dogs. The park does not have an accessible appearance. The general condition of the bungalows is bad.’ Just a few sentences from the memorandum, which also note that there is no (0 percent) recreational rental. ,,And then we would suddenly be a park for tourists”, Lampe wonders.
Oostwoud points to the Ermerzand, the only park around the recreational lake in Erm where people will soon be allowed to live permanently. ,,The world is turned upside down, because that park does have an indoor swimming pool, a reception and a swimming lake. Restaurants and all kinds of other tourist facilities are just around the corner. There is absolutely nothing for tourists here.” The restaurant at Wico has been closed for some time.
Much unrest
Several residents have raised their plight with the municipality, also pointing out the housing shortage. The CDA has asked questions in response to this. “There is a lot of unrest among the residents,” says party leader Sandra Katerberg. “The CDA wants to know from the alderman how communication has gone with them in recent years. At the time, we as a council decided that the municipality would draw up a plan for the park together with the residents. We hear from residents that they knew nothing about it.”
The fact that the CDA raises the issue does not mean that the party is now against the purely recreational future of the park. “We still stand by that. But there must be a plan that the residents can do something with. And they must be given the opportunity to look for something else in a calm way,” says Katerberg.
Dual destination
Residents have now set up an owner’s association in order to enter into dialogue with the municipality. “A large majority, 47 of the 67 houses, want the park to be partly for permanent living and partly for recreation,” says Oostwoud. She wants to speak on Tuesday evening in the political meeting of the municipality. Coevorden states that such a dual destination is not allowed on Wico.
From no chance to park for second homes
Alderman Steven Stegen (BBC2014) understands that the qualification from 2017 that Wico has absolutely no recreational future contradicts the current approach. “A lot has to happen to make something of it. But not every bungalow park needs to be in the top segment, with all kinds of facilities. We see a future for Wico as a park for second homes. Where owners come themselves, or rent their accommodation to, for example, people who come to Schoonoord to walk or cycle.”
The fact that Wico is not eligible for permanent residence is, according to Stegen, also due to its location in nature. Moreover, Coevorden does not want to create residential areas in the outlying area. ,,This is in contrast to Ermerzand, which is adjacent to Erm, and De Tip, adjacent to De Kiel. There, the holiday parks fit in much better with the existing construction.”
The fact that Lampe has not heard from the municipality for years is because the relevant department was understaffed. That is why it has been silent. But according to Stegen, the message has always been the same: permanent residence is not allowed.
The municipality is now taking enforcement action at parks in Erm. Stegen has no figures to hand on how many people have since left there. “But we always apply the human dimension. We understand that the message is annoying and evokes emotions, but we mean it.”