The Wieringerrandmeer or bordering lake of Wieringen was a project in the Dutch province of

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

and the (former) municipalities of

Wieringen Wieringen () is located in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. Now a part of the municipality of Hollands Kroon, it was a separate municipality before 2012. Its name first appeared in 8th and 9th century records. By 1200 it was an i ...

and

Wieringermeer Wieringermeer () is a polder and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Since 2012 Wieringermeer has been a part of the new municipality of Hollands Kroon. Population centres The former municipality of Wier ...

. It planned to create islands and a

bordering lake In the Netherlands, the bordering lakes (in Dutch: ''Randmeren'') are a chain of lakes which separate the Flevopolder and Noordoostpolder from the ancient lands of the provinces of Gelderland, Utrecht, Overijssel and Friesland.''Wateralmanak 2009 ...

. The project was canceled in 2010 by the provincial and national governments.

History

has been connected to the mainland since 1932 and is used, among other things, for housing and agriculture. In the mid-1990s, Wieringen initiated a project to restore its separate character by creating a

between North Holland and the polder of

. The authorities of North Holland agreed. The Wieringerrandmeer was to be part of a series of lakes, including the Amstelmeer, the

IJsselmeer The IJsselmeer (; , ), also known as Lake IJssel in English, is a closed-off freshwater lake in the central Netherlands bordering the Provinces of the Netherlands, provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of with a ...

and the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( ; ; or ; ; ; ) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of low-lying Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tida ...

. It was intended to "boost economic and social development" by creating a recreational lake and stimulating business. The project's slogan was "the Experience of the lake."

Development

In 2003, the province of North Holland, the various municipalities, and the Water Board of the Netherlands published a contest for the development project. Five consortia attended. The winner Wirense consisted of Volker Wessels and

Boskalis Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a Dutch dredging and heavylift company that provides services relating to the construction and maintenance of maritime infrastructure internationally. The company has one of the world's largest dredging fleets, a la ...

, which could participate in the project and take joint responsibility. The governments and the selected consortium drafted a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation. On March 5, 2007, the public-private partnership (PPP) between the government (provincial and municipal) and operators (Boskalis, Volker Wessels) for the construction of Wieringerrandmeer ended. Subsequently, the planning and preparations were processed in more detail. On December 19th, 2007, the executive of

approved the project. The project was approved by the Steering Committee Wieringerrandmeer: the province, municipalities, and Wirense group. The National Forest areas and the water board would be involved.

Planning

According to the original schedule, construction was scheduled to begin in summer 2010. It was expected to create the lake in five years, but all the work could last until around 2030.

Nature

With the construction of Wieringerrandmeer, continuity could be established between the

and Amstelmeer for forests, water bodies and reedbeds. This continuity of the provincial ecological structure, was called the ''Northern Arc''.

Facts

The completed plan would include: a total area of , including for housing; about of water surface; over of new nature and of forest plantations.

Opposition and alternatives

Opponents of the project were concerned that the project would alter the region's water balance and adversely effect agricultural land, with thirty farms in Wieringen and Wieringermeer closing and many farmers forced to move away. One June 27, 2008 ''The other Wieringerrandmeer'' presented an alternative plan developed by residents and farmers who were part of environmental organizations. They proposed reducing the area to be flooded, building fewer homes that would be located closer to the lake, and requiring fewer farms to relocate. Some luxury items, such as the creation of the Zuiderhaven lock between the Amstelmeer and the IJsselmeer, were removed. It concluded that it was unnecessary to build a large lake on the edge of North-Holland.

The final decision

On November 3, 2010 the

Gedeputeerde staten The provincial executive (, GS) is the executive branch of government of a province in the Netherlands. It is the equivalent of the municipal executive at the provincial level. The provincial executive consists of the King's Commissioner (chair) ...

canceled the project for financial reasons; on November 15 the

States-Provincial The provincial council (, PS), also known as the States-Provincial, is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has ...

of the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

confirmed the decision.

External links

Website van het Wieringerrandmeerproject
(Archived 5 May 2010)

References

{{coord missing, Netherlands Cancelled projects Coastal construction Environmental soil science Freshwater ecology Hollands Kroon Polders of North Holland Zuiderzee Works