Knol, Robert (2021) Wind mill park planning in the Netherlands - a conflict between global and local interests. Master thesis.
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Abstract
The development of wind mill parks is a controversial topic. On one hand, wind mill parks are an essential part of the energy transition, and they help reach national and international climate change and emission reduction objectives. However, whilst wind mill parks are of great (inter)national importance, these parks do have severe local consequences. For instance, they may lead to aesthetic degradation of the landscape, local socioeconomic imbalances, local environmental concerns and to a feeling of distributional unfairness. Often, the acronym ‘NIMBY’ (Not In My BackYard) is linked to this conflict (e.g. Rogers et al., 2013; Wolsink, 2007; Dear, 1992). These local consequences of wind mill parks have led to severe local resistance in the Netherlands, which was also explicitly linked to the ‘Rijkscoördinatieregeling’ (RTV Noord, 2019). The Rijkscoördinatieregeling was seen by local residents and represented in the media as a strict top-down planning act, that by definition leads to a non-participative planning approach where local residents have no say in the process. In 2022, the new Dutch planning act ‘de Omgevingswet’ will come into effect. One of the explicit aims of the Omgevingswet is to increase ‘participation’. Since this aim appears to be in stark contrast to the current Rijkscoördinatieregeling, in this thesis it is examined how both national and local interests can be considered when developing wind mill parks under the Omgevingswet. In order to do so, reasons behind local resistance have been studied and summarized, and the issue of conflicting global and local interests is studied both from a theoretic and practical point of view. This is done by studying online sources of information, legislation, scientific articles, and by interviewing professionals that both have experience with implementing the Rijkscoördinatieregeling, and with local resistance. Using the complexity model of de Roo (2003), it was concluded that the issue of wind mill parks can be interpreted as a ‘simple’ issue with a single and fixed goal, and which then should be approached trough central guidance (a top-down planning approach). By doing so, the (inter)national interests are seen as the only important interests, and local interests are neglected. Wind park de Drentse Monden is a clear example of this approach. However, wind mill parks can also be seen as a ‘complex’ issue in the complexity model. This in turn implies that there are multiple composite and dependent goals, and thus a necessity for more participative interaction. Windpark Zeewolde, which was also a pilot project for the Omgevingswet, can be seen as an example of a more participative planning approach. Interestingly, despite opposing approaches in theory, both the Rijkscoördinatieregeling and the Omgevingswet include the same instruments for the government to approach the development of wind mill parks, such as a bundling of permits in order to reduce the possibilities for formal objections to one single moment, and the option for the national government to overrule local destination plans. And whilst the Omgevingswet has an explicit aim towards participation, no actual definition of participation is provided in this act. Therefore, it is not guaranteed that the participation is actual participation instead of symbolic participation where local residents do not have any real power. It is concluded that the interpretation of the issue of wind mill parks as either simple, complex, or in between, and therefore the corresponding planning approach, is mainly a result of the zeitgeist and the culture of the responsible governmental departments or project developer. Finally, a practical approach for the development of wind mill parks is provided in this thesis. This approach is a combination of a top-down and bottom-up planning approach. However, this approach can be taken with both the Rijkscoördinatieregeling and the Omgevingswet. Legislation is not the decisive factor in choosing the planning approach, but the people with decision making power are.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Degree programme: | Environmental & Infrastructure Planning |
| Supervisor: | Roo, G. de and Kann, F.M.G. van |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Dec 2021 12:25 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Dec 2021 12:25 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3746 |
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