Noorderplantsoen Is Safe From Surveillance and Regulations
Local residents are furious at no changes to Noorderplantsoen rules, the focus will remain on strengthening current regulations.
Despite significant inconvenience to residents, the rules for the Noorderplantsoen will remain unchanged. The Party for the North tried to introduce several bans, but most of the council opposed these changes. Party leader Leendert van der Laan called for a general ban on barbecues in the park, citing environmental and noise concerns. He emphasised that on nice evenings, barbecues are held all over the park, leaving the Environmental Service to clean up the next morning.
Maria Martinez Doubiani of D66 doubted the feasibility of enforcing more rules, noting that even current rules are hard to enforce. She questioned how the Party for the North planned to manage additional rules. Jeffry van Hoorn of GroenLinks agreed, saying that balance is key and that the current measures already consider the needs of local residents, nature, and park users. Alderman Mirjam Wijnja highlighted the limited capacity for enforcement and the need for a balanced approach.
The Party for the North also proposed a ban on loudspeakers in the park, arguing that boot camp clubs and other groups using loudspeakers disturb the peace. However, this proposal, along with the barbecue ban, was voted down by the council. Many parties acknowledged the nuisance but believed that additional rules could not be effectively enforced. Instead, they suggested spreading out park users to other areas like the City Park and ensuring that existing measures are properly enforced.
The council also discussed a motion to have the municipality sign the Clean Air Agreement, but this proposal failed. Jeffry van Hoorn of GroenLinks argued that the standards in the agreement are less strict than the current local standards. Leendert van der Laan countered that clean air should be a priority, citing poor air quality in various locations in the city. Despite this, the motion did not pass.
One successful motion was the VVD's proposal to add public toilet facilities to a catering establishment in the park. Alderman Wijnja agreed to investigate this possibility and report back to the council with the results.
Residents of the Noorderplantsoen neighbourhood are frustrated and angry with the city council's decision not to establish any new rules regarding noise and smoke nuisance. They have consistently complained about the unbearable conditions caused by barbecues, loud music, and other disturbances, feeling that their concerns are dismissed as mere ‘whining’. Gerald van der Poll, chairman of the Noorderplantsoen neighbourhood, expressed a sense of injustice, arguing that even if enforcement is challenging, setting clear rules would allow residents to hold each other accountable. Despite their repeated complaints and the negative impact on their quality of life, the council has opted to maintain the status quo, leaving residents feeling wronged and ignored.
Even though the residents' concerns about noise and smoke nuisance in the Noorderplantsoen were acknowledged, the council decided not to implement new bans, citing enforcement challenges and the need for balance. The focus will remain on enforcing existing measures and finding ways to accommodate all park users.
As someone who is in the park every day, I have to say the neighbors have become a bit of a nuisance. They've made many dogs (and their owners) miserable by outlawing swimming and playing and being off leash. Soon enough the geese will be expelled due to their squawking and hooting. Making the park the exclusive playground of the immediate neighbors is not acceptable. The park is a shared, public space. When you live by a busy street, you expect noise. When you live by a busy park, expect noise! And dogs, and geese, and picnics and...