Ten Years of Public Private Partnership in Meppel
Royal Haskoning works on various projects, bearing the risks with public and private partners. One of the oldest ‘PPP connections’ in the Netherlands is the successful Oevers D-project. Royal Haskoning is developing this ‘wet’ industrial area with Meppel local authority and KWS Infra BV.
Head of the North Regional and Spatial Infrastructure Advisory Group Clazinus Netjes is proud of it. ‘In 1998 we signed the contract with Meppel local authority and KWS Infra to start developing Oevers D. Now, ten years later, there is a splendid harbour and approximately 70% of the land has been sold. We reached the break-even point this year and there are still almost four years to go.’
Need for confidence
Netjes continues, ‘The collaboration among the three parties is first-rate. It’s real teamwork, based on clear-cut job demarcation and mutual confidence’. ‘The fact that the parties are able to have this confidence in one another has been proved over the last ten years,’ agrees Han Tissingh. The Development and Communication team leader at Meppel local authority has been closely involved with the project for a long time. ‘In the past public bodies had some difficulty collaborating with private parties. But in view of all the social developments it is obvious that we as a public body cannot and should not do everything on our own. Our public-private partnership shows that you can develop great things by combining strength, capital and knowledge. What’s more it is extremely important that parties show that they have confidence in one another.’
Task sharing
‘In this project KWS Infra is responsible for the completion of the harbour and making the buildings and accommodation ready; Meppel local authority is taking care of the legal procedures and granting land,’ continues Netjes. ‘We are taking on the project management, providing engineering services and giving integrated advice. That means that we have done the planning and geotechnical and environmental technical investigations, researched nautical aspects, and in addition to various civil engineering designs also did the plans for making the buildings and accommodation in the area ready. We have all the advisory services to bring this project to a good conclusion in house. Whether it’s spatial planning, harbour layout, dust problems, soil quality, dykes, hydrology or ecology, there is always one focal point. This makes it manageable and creates short lines of communication to the other parties.
Challenges
‘What we ran up against in a big way was the planning objection procedure was started by people living in the neighbourhood when an asphalt plant wanted to buy land. Because of that it took a really long time before the transaction went through. In the end a new environmental permit was granted and the sale took place, but it does bring it home to you that you are running a risk in this construction. Another problem was the concrete bar in the Meppelerdiep. This dam regulates the water inlet in the shipping route near Zwartsluis. Because of it, shipping cannot get to Oevers D at low or high water. This problem will shortly be a thing of the past because of the undertaking by the government to contribute towards a lock.’
Model project
The project is on schedule, not just financially, but also as regards job creation. ‘Like the Netherlands and the Province of Drenthe, Europe has provided a booster subsidy for the infrastructure development of the Northern Netherlands. One of the requirements here in Meppel is that 160 jobs are created. Now we have 250 and industry is still coming in.’ The Northern Netherlands Building Directorate has made PPP Oevers D into one of the model projects which shows how a public body can collaborate well with market parties.
Contact: Clazinus Netjes
+31 (0)521 534 601
c.netjes@royalhaskoning.com
