WOUDENBERG – “Hens off, Hens off!” With this slogan, more than 300 people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the plans for the Henschotermeer. The demonstrators fear the future, now that the manager of the lake has plans for an activity hall, a watchtower, a restaurant and apartments. “Our goal was to make it a real theme before the elections, so that parties in Woudenberg should speak out,” says Jesseka Batteau of the Party for the Animals.
The protest is organized by the PUURH foundation. This is a collaboration between (political) parties that, among other things, want to preserve the green character of the Henschotermeer. A petition previously initiated by them has already been signed more than 16,000 times.
‘The Hens is for everyone’
Many people are also speaking out against the owner’s building plans today. “I think that, after I’ve worked at the end of the day, I should be able to go here by bike and lie on the sand on my towel,” says Marieke Drapers.
She holds up a sign that reads ‘Het Hens is for everyone.’ For Drapers, the building plans feel like a threat to ‘her’ Henschotermeer. “My place is under threat. A petting zoo should still be possible, but not really because one thing leads to another.”
Politics
Getting the Henschotermeer back on the political agenda is the goal of all actions around and about the recreational lake. Jesseka Batteau is honest about it: “Our goal was to make it a real theme before the elections. And we will continue. The provincial elections are next year.”
Since the Province of Utrecht no longer takes care of it, it is regularly restless around the Henschotermeer. It already started in 2018 with the installation of a fence around the lake. After that there was some hassle about the entrance gates. Contact with the current owner is also difficult. For example, the Party for the Animals does not yet have direct contact, and the management of surrounding recreation parks are also unknown in plans.
Eric Pardon is director of an exclusive holiday park and has hardly any contact with his neighbor who exploits the lake: “Actually there is no communication. There are presentations of the plans. There has been no attempt at collaboration.” So he is also not waiting for further development of the area. “The unique character for everyone is then lost. And what’s left? The experience of daytime recreation in the middle of nature has of course been killed in this way.”
In the municipality of Woudenberg, the SGP has always been in favor of planning development around the Henschotermeer. Gerben Heldoorn says that they see room for development around Hens, but should continue to look at the zoning plan. “Look at an amusement park, you hear that noise a lot, that’s not what we are there for. But that there are a number of activities, such as a restaurant at the lake, we think the Henschotermeer could use that.”
Demonstration against amusement park Het Hens