The municipality of Dordrecht will ‘just’ place a tree in front of the driveway of a house on Hazelaarlaan in Dordrecht. According to alderman Piet Sleeking, the municipality is not doing anything wrong and the tree is being placed on the basis of a drawing, which was sent to all residents in the street in August.
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The residents of the building, where the municipality also blundered by building a sewage pumping station and switch box in the front yard, are angry and disappointed. “This cannot be true. It is simply said that it is our own fault,” says the resident. She shows a drawing of the street, in which the tree has been drawn just in front of her house.
Because the sewage pumping station was inadvertently installed in front of her house, the tree cannot be placed in that spot. Partly for this reason, a new drawing was made in August with trees and lampposts in other places. Various residents then made requests to design the street in such a way that they can park two cars next to each other in their driveway.
“But I never saw that new drawing and did not know at all that it was happening,” says the resident. When road workers built a border in front of her driveway at the end of last week and she heard that a tree was growing in it, she asked the contractor whether another solution was possible. They referred her to the municipality.
In response to questions from the city council on the matter, Alderman Sleeking said that several residents had discussed “custom solutions”, “but communication with the residents of this house is difficult”. He refers to the conflict about the sewer cupboard, which has still not been removed, despite municipal promises.
Sleeking reiterated that the residents are taking legal proceedings against the municipality. “Pure nonsense”, says the resident “I have been asked by the municipality if I can hire a lawyer. At my own expense. The only thing I have sent is a registered letter about that tree.”
A spokesperson for the municipality emphasizes that the driveway of the house in question can continue to be used, because there is enough space left next to the tree. It is expected that it will be placed this week.
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