King Willem-Alexander will close part of the Crown Estate Het Loo again for three months to the public next week. The Government Information Service confirms this after reporting from RTL News.
Yesterday it was announced that the nature reserve will not be closed from 2022 may be closed, if the king wants to keep a five-year subsidy of 4.7 million euros for maintenance. From then on, the same rules apply to the head of state as to other subsidy applicants for nature reserves. This means that the park may only be closed for one week per year.
The Crown Estate can still be closed this year, because the new rules will not take effect until January 1, 2022. The king therefore does not anticipate the new situation, despite the criticism from nature organizations and from politics.
Almost all parties in the House of Representatives demanded clarification about the closure last year. Prime Minister Rutte emphasized at the time that the forest private and that the king as a large landowner is free to do as he pleases with the area.
New subsidy application
If the king decides not to apply for a new subsidy, the nature reserve may be closed to the public for months. The Government Information Service does not yet want to say whether the king will waive such a new million-dollar subsidy. Applications can be submitted until the end of the year.
The park on the Veluwe is closed annually from September 15 to December 25. It is suspected that the royal family then hunts for game.
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