Lower House approves amended PKB Part 3 (2006)
10-03-2006"Account of the Policy Debate on the Rotterdam Mainport Development Project (PMR)"
The Lower House has officially endorsed the implementation of the Rotterdam Mainport Development Project (PMR). During the policy debate on Monday, 2 October, the attending political parties (CDA, VVD, PvdA, LPF and SGP) leant their support to the amended PKB Part 3. They also approved the agreements previously made in the Administrative Agreement (2004) and the Detailed Agreements (2005). With the support expressed by the Lower House and the support previously given by the region and by civic organisations (as represented in the Overleg Maatschappelijke Partijen) the construction of Maasvlakte 2 enjoys wide support.
During the debate much attention was devoted to the environmental compensation aspect, particularly to the consequences of the sea reserve. The approach to air quality was another important point of discussion. With regard to the sea reserve, the minister promised that she would work toward minimising these consequences. The protected zone around the seal population on the shoals, for example, could be smaller than had been assumed until now. The minister also promised that she would be in contact with her colleague from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to ensure realistic conservation objectives during the discussions regarding the Designation Decision for the Voordelta to be held in November. Since the sea reserve could have adverse effects on the region, the minister indicated that she would take a number of measures to strengthen the tourism and recreational sector in the region. In specific terms, she mentioned the following:
Exploration into the possibility of a drain in the Brouwersdam
Investing in the elaboration and implementation of the programme announced in "Kracht van de Delta" (an agenda listing recommendations to maintain and strengthen the southwestern delta)
Planning study into the approach for the storage capacity in the Volkerak-Zoommeer (a study that will also address the blue algae problem)
Incentive scheme / development fund for the sectors suffering a disadvantage as a result of the sea reserve, particularly the tourism-recreation and fishing sectors (indicative investment: 10-12 million euros).
As far as air quality is concerned, the minister indicated she assumes that the Port of Rotterdam itself is doing everything possible to arrive at a sustainable design for the Second Maasvlakte. A source-directed approach would be the most effective. The national government's policy (this government has already allocated more than 1 billion euros) is thus aimed in this direction. The national government will enter into an agreement with the region in which the approach will be further regulated (enforceable on citizens). Two amending motions from the SGP party, aimed at sustainability, were immediately adopted by the minister and will be included in the PKB.
The PvdA, CDA and LPF parties supported the proposal to construct the hard seawall for Maasvlakte 2 in one go because this would provide both environmental and financial advantages. A previous proposal advocated building the seawall in phases according to the demand from companies. The minister promised to amend the PKB on this point. As requested by the Lower House, she also indicated that accessing Maasvlakte 2 by inland shipping and rail transport would be improved. This will stimulate the use of these transport modes and thus improve living quality in the surroundings.
The minister promised to apply herself to accelerating the subsequent municipal and provincial procedures still necessary for the PMR and Maasvlakte 2 so that the first containers could be received on Maasvlakte 2 by 2013.
The final vote on the PKB in the Lower House will take place on 10 October. If approved, the Administrative Agreement and the Detailed Agreements for the three PMR subprojects (land reclamation, the 750 hectares dedicated to nature conservation and recreation purposes, and the projects to improve the quality of life and make more intensive use of the land in the Existing Rotterdam Area) will be confirmed. After approval by the Lower and Upper Houses, a government decision on PKB Part 4 will be made and the implementation of PMR will begin.
Page updated at: 07-07-2009