A bar where you can eat something, an exhibition space and some office spaces. The water tower in Meppel will be given a new purpose. Ralph Verheijen and Dilana Verheijen-Kuiper will be the new owners of this provincial monument.
The idea is to hold wine tastings there, among other things. That’s why they want to build a small vineyard around the water tower. “That is actually mainly for decoration,” says Ralph Verheijen. “That you can show how to prune, for example. The intention is not to make wine yourself. The site is too small for that.”
The restobar will become a bar with ‘restaurant-level dishes’ and will be located on the ground floor of the water tower. The intention is to have a small terrace outside. It is decorated with the vineyard and a little water. The municipality is planning to partially reopen the Nijeveense Grift. That is the oldest dug waterway in Drenthe.
Office space will be located on the three floors above the catering facility. “We haven’t decided yet whether these are flex spaces or in a permanent form.” At the very top of the tower, where the water tank was located, there will be a multifunctional space where exhibitions or workshops can be held.
The water tower, just under 40 meters high, was built in 1893. This makes it the oldest water tower in the province. The tower last underwent major maintenance in the early 1990s. Such a turn is now coming again. “We are going to completely renovate it first,” says Verheijen.
They do not sit on the tower itself. “It’s part of the charm that the tower looks the same from all angles.” There will be new construction on the site. “There is a total of about 80 meters of land. We want to build our new home 20 meters away from the tower.” The two want to live near the tower. “That is also very convenient if we want to exploit it. Then we are close by, and we are also looking for a new home ourselves.”
Ralph Verheijen and Dilana Verheijen-Kuiper have been working on the plans for about four years, because they already submitted their plans for the water tower in 2020. A year later the purchase agreement with the municipality was concluded. They hope to start renovating the water tower in the summer of this year. “That will be a big job.” That is why he does not dare to say when all work will be completed and the tower will open to the public.
The municipal council will decide on the plans on February 29. If approved, the new owners will receive the key to the water tower. An information meeting will follow in April for the neighborhood, which has already been informed of the plans.
The tower was already sold to a company from Rogat in 2017, but it later withdrew because its plans were not feasible.