Critical note on the Environmental Plan Principles Note 1.0 (Center area)

By Peter Dunk
Sliedrecht – During the first meeting of the new Council season, several parties made critical comments on the Memorandum of Principles for the Environmental Plan 1.0 (Central Region). During an evaluation meeting on the evening of Monday, September 11, 2023, various parties gave their opinion. The environmental law will enter into force on 1 January 2024. Many political parties are concerned about the limited official capacity in the municipality of Sliedrecht.

Citizen Councilor Matthijs Ebel (SGP-Christian Union) speaks at the municipal council. (Photo by Peter Dunk/Sliedrecht24)

Councilor Vincent Prince (CDA) wanted to say something about one topic: the bicycle. “The memorandum focuses on road safety and good cycle paths. This is nice, but I would have liked to read that consideration should be given to creating separate cycle paths on Rembrandtlanstrasse. This is also in line with the CDA and PvdA proposal of 8 November 2022 on more cycle paths Allocated. Space in Sliedrecht is scarce. We need space for houses, roads, green spaces and water. “Let us now include additional space for a safe bicycle path in the environmental plan,” Prinz suggested. He saw “1.0” as the first pie to be baked. Prinz: “It often fails First pie, the next one gets better.” He received support from VVD. “This doesn’t have to be perfect. “It is still a flexible plan,” replied party leader Sjoers van Wijngaarden (VVD). “If we adopt this document, this is the plan that will be presented to everyone. We must do it as much as possible,” said council member Hanne Visser Schlecker (PRO Sliedrecht).

Guidance
Citizen Councilor Matthijs Eppel (SGP-Christian Union): “If we look at the documents, we see that if the planning goes well, there is already room for a new policy. Such as, for example, reducing the level of parking in the center area during redevelopment processes, but Also the health issue, which is already being worked on. Policy still needs to be put in place regarding parking standards, health and some other matters. As a council, we have not discussed this yet. So it is possible that we will have different views on this topic. Moment 1 Where we can provide guidance on this is when you evaluate Environmental Plan 1.0. I don’t know exactly what the piece is going to look like but it’s likely to be big. So we can have different views on a number of points. The big question here is: are we not too late? Much in developing the Environmental Plan 1.0?It would be better for us as a board, but also for the formal organization that is investing so much time in this, to plan a moment of orientation in advance.

Speed
According to Epple, if the planning goes well, there will also be a new policy in the environmental plan, such as regarding health, but also the launch of the installation of dormer windows, and there are other matters. Ebel: Everyone may agree on the points mentioned, but when they are translated into policy, disagreements can occur. And then we come back to the next point: Can we as a board provide adequate guidance? As a faction, we can certainly agree with the principles that will be translated into the spirit of environmental law, but we have doubts about the speed with which planning is being implemented. We realize that this will be a new path for both the formal organization and for us as a council where we have to really explore the process and possibilities that environmental law offers us. The official organization would like to use this website to wish all the success in this huge job.

Exciting move
The VVD described environmental law as a “complex subject.” The center area is now first in line. “It’s an exciting step,” said party leader Sjoers van Wijngaarden. The Liberals also welcome experimental building types, which make plazas more attractive and provide space for large-scale events, he noted. Van Wijngaarden would like to discuss Prince’s question about the free bike trails in Rembrandtlan in the group.

prattle
For the PvdA, the article contained a lot of information and, according to party leader Ben van der Plas (PvdA), was written by “someone with knowledge.” His group had difficulty with this. “And actually we’re still not there. The piece has a lot of information and is naturally written for someone who’s been aware of this for a long time, but who can sometimes forget to bend over backwards for people who aren’t. What I mean by that is I would have liked to see a summary “I certainly don’t want to dismiss the piece with this, because it might say more about me than the quality of the proposal,” says van der Plas. What is the focus of that?

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Not without participation
Slydregt.NU finds a broader argument, primarily around local political party concerns about limited formal capacity. Group chair Mark Gungenel (Slydregt.NU): “We support the choice of a neutral policy transition. Changes must be approached with restraint, with a strong focus on the engagement of our residents and stakeholders. A ready-made plan should not be presented to our residents without engagement.

health
According to Slydregt.NU, the topic of “health” is of course important. “But why include this now if it requires so much formal capacity? Wouldn’t it be better to include this in a later release?\

the pressure
Jungenel also raised questions about the proposed densification in the context of preserving the compact village center. “What does condensation mean specifically for sliders? There will be rules on dormers, why is there no clarity on roof structures? Especially given the frequent disputes and the fact that this may also be related to the above-mentioned pressure? Where it is of course strange to have a filming meeting “Only here next week. A little mustard after the meal. So this is of no use now. So the question now is what does the Chancellor actually mean by this?”, says Jongenel.

Harmful and inappropriate
The proposal to place solar panels on rare municipal monuments seems inappropriate to Slydregt.NU. Jungenel: “Ancient buildings are a heritage that we are proud of. Placing solar panels on them would detract from their aesthetic and historical value.”

More is coming.