“We don’t feel taken seriously by the municipality”, is the sound in the Arendhof in Nuenen. The residents of the houses in this rustic street clearly do not agree with having to pay ‘rent’ for their front garden. “All of a sudden, after fifty years. Really ridiculous.
The few residents who responded prefer not to be named. “If we want to keep our front gardens, we have no choice. It’s either pay rent or give up our garden. Of course, we knew that our front gardens are on municipal land, but it was tolerated for half a century. Alas, now suddenly it’s not anymore. Only because utility lines are running through it.”
The bungalows in the Arendhof were completed in 1972, and at the request of the first residents – and with permission from the municipality of Nuenen – they laid out their front gardens. Plants were then planted, trees were placed, grass was sown, and tiles were laid. “That saved the municipality a lot of money,” says one resident. “After all, no maintenance is needed. After all, we do that ourselves.”
On the shovel
Because the street is regularly flooded during heavy rainfall, the municipality intends to renew the paving and sewerage of the Arendhof. And here is the rub. The front gardens must be dug up, and the municipality wants to prevent any ‘trouble’ with the residents. “That is why we received a letter that our front gardens are being ‘formalised’. This simply means that we have to pay or give up.”
The amount that the residents would have to pay is about one hundred to one hundred and fifty euros per year. “Not even that much money, but it is also a matter of principle,” is the answer. That is why we asked questions to the municipal council. They were not aware.” The municipal government’s response is clear: “The rules that the municipal council itself drew up in the past for so-called residual strips no longer allow tolerated use of municipal land.”
‘Municipal green’
And this does not change if the paving or sewerage needs to be renewed. “For those who give up their garden, we remove all the plants and replace them with ‘municipal greenery’. We promise that maintenance will be carried out several times a year.” A resident responds: “A draft lease agreement has already been sent, so I wonder if our protest still makes sense.”
