3rd ESPACE Conference – Den Haag, The Netherlands
13th November
Conference Notes
Introduction - Hans ten Hoeve
Good morning everybody and welcome to the 3rdTechnical Conference of the ESPACE. Project, I hope you will enjoy it with us and I hope you have a nice impression of the barrier. I think it is an impressive piece of technology.
On behalf of the ESPACE Project, I can say that we are very pleased to welcome many representatives of extended partners and others who are interested in spatial and climate change.
Today we would like to discuss some of the Dutch perspectives on the issue with projects that are dealing with adapting climate change and spatial planning. We would also like to reflect on potentials of national and regional strategies and finally we would like to have a look at the possible solutions. The ESPACE project could deliver on issues like raising awareness and how to incorporate climate change into spatial planning. I hope you will enjoy the programmes we have set out for you. We think their should be enough content presented today for discussion. Maybe it challenges you to exchange more information and experiences in the future. At least this day gives an opportunity to expand your network. I am hosting the morning session of this conference and the afternoonwill be represent the re- part Hampshire County Council is hosting a few panel discussions. Before these sessions he will introduce the Espace project, project roles and specific issues with regards to that. So for this moment I only give you a short introduction to the morning programme.
In the morning we will have a series of presentations followed by a guided tour. All of them give insights into projects which are looking at the challenges of spatial planningand climate change. Hopefully you will all learn more about large scale adjustments to spatial projects as well as raising awareness and implementing new instruments.
Presentations start with AndréRijsdorp, from the Ministry of Transport and Water Management. He will tell us all about the large scale projects which contributes to the policy of space for the earth. This presentation will be followed by Edith van Dam who will elaborate on what we saw at the weak link site visit, giving more detail to us on the national policy for the process. We will then refer to a relative new topic introduced by Wim Dijkman from the Province of Utrecht -on the peatland areas in the central metropolitan area in Amsterdam/Rotterdam. This will be followed by a guided tour that will give us not only more technical information about the marshland/floodland areas but will also introduce us to the long term problems we are facing for the Rotterdam region.
I would now like to ask André to start this presentation.
Speaker André Rijsdorp
Thank you
My name is André Rijsdorp. I work for the Ministry of Transport and I am the Process Manager of the Nordwaard area. The area is around 3000 hectacres with 200 people, 50 households, 25 Farms. I tell you later a bit about content but I will try as well to tell you more about the process about managing a project like this. This thing comes back later, so content and process will be my presentation.
This project starts in 1993 / 95. The river was very high with flooding and there was a necessity to do something about that. Not only for the area I work for but the whole of the Netherlands river basin. The colours tell you how much the water will rise if we do nothing ( 1 m) and we can be sure that the dykes wont resist that. A lot of measures will be taken everywhere and where I will tell you about is this area – the whole region is called the ‘Biesbosch ’. So what is the meaning of the measure? This is the river coming from Germany. This side goes to Rotterdam and this side goes more down and what I will do is try to get as much water as possible from this other river so it flows through this area and goes back there again. It’s not storage area. Its actually an extra river during the time you need it, so this goes around like that, and you can see it is also for areas where you can still have agricultural land or other functions.
This is how the areas looks. You can see it is all agricultural land, farm land and there you see the nature areaBiesbosch. What we did is try to make a plan to involve all functions on a global basis. This is the area which is most needed for the flow. I told you that you have agricultural areas where farming is still possible. It’s one part of a large nature area where a long long time ago it was de-poldered by nature itself about 600 years ago and manre-polderedit again. That is actually what we try to do again.
We used the old polders all separate with water flows. It also helps that the people that live there see this as their identity (because of the historical links) and so they can understand what and why were are doing it.
And you will process this plan this picture comes back later this is where we are now to make it as appropriate as possible, actually it will happen with the people themselves. Their environment.
I will try to tell you about the approach I have taken. The government rules – I will tell you later that they don’t rule, but actually they should rule, and the politicians they minimise the choice and this is the area where we have to try to get as many interactions as possible – You are not only dealing with this, this is also manageable, so I cant tell everything I chose to tell you the little thing about 3 remarks, 3 recommendations I explain them later. The first thing is you need the process to be fed a content and a prospectus of the future in the very very beginning since people have to deal with the fear of the unknown is 1 and the 2nd thing is realise what role administrators the politicians are in. They are stuck between the citizens and the representatives they have to deal with that, this took powers from the sun. I tell you more about that, and the 3rd thing I will tell you is that what we actually did is – that people actually live there and they are the most involved with means of communication, communication, communication – that means a lot of evenings as well. I don’t have small children. We might want about the process needs to be fed by content and a bright perspective on the future. In the very beginning it is about why we even enter, people lived a long time, and why now, we had a garden approach and its impossible to get everybody that they will support you in this but it takes a lot of energy and its not worth doing that, we try to talk about necessities well immediately as well what other technique every household is different and the people is different – so what does that actually affect me – which alternatives are there and where can I join – it helps then you rule yourselves, this is remark 1. I will show you some example of content and perspectives what we actually at in the process. One of the first things is the way people are safe by the water nowadays will be changed. Since nowadays just normal dutch situation the houses are older and the dykes they keep the water outbut the de-boulder and there will still be people living there the safety approach will be very very little and will be actually their houses should be high enough themselves so when the polar is valid it actually does not involve the houses and that is easy on a picture like this but is very hard to understand actually when it will happen by itself. So this is information about the different safety approach. It means that for all houses we actually measures how high the houses built and we have different colours Green when you high enough – No problem – yellow – not quite high on a certain moment they can have water in their houses, but it’s not unsafe but its not an idea and the Red ones they are very low which means that its unsafe to live there. This information which was added to the process before its was sure the measurement would be taken, before does that mean it is necessary, so to help them even in the face we are not sure this one will have the bouldering this area with a long measurement is that people understand what should it be for my own house.
Our information is about the water level since what happened when we de bouldered that area and we made small boulders here the rest of the area will be flooded just by rising water levels in this area since all the creeks going through the area high levels here high levels there so you have to look for people there to understand how often is there water you should tell them, what it actually does is the level of the drought and the rising to the water levels and just the normal lower level water you can see that some areas you see some water and if the water just abit higher you see the large area flooded already on dangers the tides of certain centimetres. (coughing) every day like this. But a few times a year this whole area will be flooded in the middle and you see this, then you have 7 kilometres from here to there just water, and 2 kilometres from here to there just water, The last hill for that process …………………. And what I told you already when the water level is very high about 3 meters – 3 meters 50 the whole area will be under water and flow with the river since also these area will still help to get the water levels 10 centimetres or still is available enough to get, to lower the water level on the river. About aesthetics (prosthetics) also actually it was in the first month we are dealing with people who live there, which we try to understand, the first month we actually had to approach these people – we tried to act prospectus so we can do it this way , you can do it that way, so it can actually be different as well like that and so not only when you see many times is just a circle on the map so something happened there and we cant understand what it can be - On a labour basis you see different things to them more complete one year later , two years later. And now we see development in pictures of over the last three years. Always people have an image of what it can be – What we mean by taking some pictures of – this is the middle area – it should be open – you need cattle to graze the grass – flood water – this is what the area would look like and it really helps people to understand. It also is – on a much smaller scale to look at their own situations. This is actually all the places where we make the design of – we have a few landscape architects with us so this would help – so you can make a design of an area (coughing) cause of one farmer – what happened actually earlier with your farm your area. So now we understand ok maybe the farming would not be increased by its measurement but to rent …….could be a possibility as well cause such nearby the creek it could help those kind of discussions start…….. so just tell information prospectus about the future those kind of things added to the approach. Strange thing about the administrators those who rule – they rule – what we see that there is a difference between 10 years ago and now. Citizens are well informed they have internet they know what we know, and they demand to have say in that but also and this is hard to deal for administrators is that citizens and representatives that make deals ……………………. You can’t see who communicates with whom and what happens actually, and that makes why he is uncertain to make decisions, so actually they decided only where they are absolutely certain and it has something to do with public support so they know that what they do is actually already decided before – actually those and those actually decide – we don’t tell the rulers they are not ruling but is really – it helps me for processing this process by doing this, I not only do this, I also have discussions with the representatives – in the beginning of the project not only when they have to minimise but far before, so they can understand actually why it is necessary what are the alternatives – all those things they need as well. Elsewhere should be approached by newspapers – I cant read it all but this is about just in two weeks about the area where we are working. Quite often we have news breaks and the 1st remark is about focussing people who are directly informed. Just a few things we did we still do – is about information evenings about youthfulness and necessity of the planet In the beginning but even now after 3 / 4 years it happens very often that you have to go back again but stop in the dialogue because people are lost - what is the different measurement could save our Noordwaard. Even when you are working yourself it has as much evenings as possible about the progress of the process and very often the rules say oh but we don’t have enough to tell – but even the we still have the evenings people themselves if I was far enough to have the information adapted video every three months – an evening for everybody. And also what helped this summer is that we went to every household and we discussed their situations. About how high the water level rising in your house, when it happens – for instance some of the people have pond with goldfish, you think it is not an important thing in this moment approaching for the people of Merivill they did not want to live there anymore because they have no idea what would happen to their goldfish, they don’t what to find their fish behind trees or hidden. But only when you are there you will see that the garden design – you can find solutions and now we have a family who is actually a supporter instead of being against it only when you are there.
This is not very nice for your family but 24/7 are reachable , they read in the newspapers every morning something about and they say what happens now – Saturday afternoon my telephone rings– and the last but not least is that what we try to do is have easy understandable booklets about state affairs and approaches – Every year we make a new booklet and it helps people to read about what we have been telling people in the evenings. Its grisly, but I think mumble conversation.
CLAPPING (end)
Just a moment for a few short questions of things you didn’t understand for the presentation of André
Dutch Speaker
André you spoke about representatives and who are the representatives? –
André
Um of the local government and regional government province , and the municipalities, actually the more formal way we have to deal with the members of parliament ………. They don’t care about what happens in an area like this – so the most local representatives – and those are the people who actually are ………… who live in Noordwaard themselves – On the market they find themselves – we found it very important to have their support.
English Speaker (man)
What powers do you have to insist that something happens?
André
Um – we actually rule means – we can buy all the land – if we start a nice discussion but if you don’t agree on here, I buy it anyway.
English Speaker (lady)
Was it adopted this scheme or did you protect other property down stream or far stream, I mean was there any sort of bargaining between kinesis but why should we lose one order so we can protect somebody else.
André
No that would not happen – since the project before this when we choose between measurements what are should we boulder – You actually see the local people themselves they are not very concerned – its only the politics – I mean politicians it happens but still in this case it was so clear that it was the best way of doing it, since here there only live 200 people on other polar we have 50 thousand to 100 thousand so it was clear that this one should be – is more easy to devolve .
Dutch speaker
Was no serious alternatives
André
Not in this book – approach on safety – sure you can still raise dykes , you can dig the river out, but on this approach making room for a river
Mumble conversation
English Speaker