Dissolving Moerdijk village was already a compromise; Original plans twice as large
The plans for a major energy project that would result in the village of Moerdijk being dissolved were already a compromise. The original plans were twice as large, before being scaled down from an area of 1,300 hectares to 700 hectares, the municipality told BNR.
The local, provincial, and national governments are working on plans for new energy infrastructure near Moerdijk. The plans include creating more space for the adjacent industrial area to expand and for companies that can recycle the waste from that industry. In the current plans, 700 hectares are needed, of which 450 are in the municipality of Moerdijk and would require the village of Moerdijk to disappear.
The final decision on whether this will actually happen has been twice postponed. State Secretary Jo-Annes de Bat of Climate and Green Growth is currently investigating a scenario in which only 240 hectares are needed in Moerdijk, which could preserve the village.
But according to the municipality, the 450-hectare plan was already a compromise made in negotiations with the national government and the province of Noord-Brabant. During that process, the plans were scaled down from a total of 1,300 hectares to 700 hectares.
Alderman Danny Dingemans of Moerdijk told BNR that they tried for less. “Our idea was: if you take charge, at least it can still be fitted onto the map as compactly as possible. However, during the process, we discovered that it actually became more rather than less. Because these energy projects act as a kind of magnet for all sorts of other issues for which no place has yet been found and which also need to be located close to energy sites and arterial roads.”
Exactly how the 240-hectare scenario could be implemented remains unclear. After two postponements, the final ruling on Moerdijk’s future is scheduled for June 29.
Dingemans previously said he regretted the extra uncertainty for residents that the new delay is causing, but stressed that a decision to dissolve the village should not be made hastily. “If there is a chance that the village can be preserved, that is good news. Then you have to seriously examine that,” Dingemans said. “It would therefore be unwise to push through a decision now. With such an impactful decision, you have to be 100 percent certain.”
