Durk Bergsma on the development perspective for the Lelylijn: “making choices for the future of the Northern Netherlands and the Randstad”

In the area where the future Lelylijn may come, several things must have a place. Think of businesses, train stations, houses, agriculture, nature and water. Choices have to be made to give all these components a place in the area in a balanced way. Durk Bergsma, program manager NOVEX for project the Lelylijn, shares his insights on the challenges, choices and opportunities involved in the development perspective of the Lelylijn.

Spatial puzzle
Durk Bergsma is program manager NOVEX, the program that directs the laying of the spatial puzzle around the Lelylijn, in cooperation with provinces, municipalities and water boards. The core of the NOVEX approach is the development perspective: a sketch of the future environment of the Lelylijn, with an overview of what can possibly be realized. “Right now the project is in the first phase, in which we are making an exploratory sketch,” Bergsma explains. “This sketch serves as inspiration and gives an idea of the possibilities and points of interest. It is a charcoal sketch, so to speak, that does not yet contain any final choices.”

Planning
The first outline of the development perspective will be presented to administrators, officials and other stakeholders in the summer (2023). The outline will also be presented during the administrative consultations on the living environment, where regional and state administrators will be present. The assignment of the project organization the Lelylijn is to conduct a broad study of the Lelylijn. In the summer of 2024 the development perspective must be ready. Then administrators and other stakeholders will still be able to look at it and have their say. At the end of 2024, the national and regional governments will decide whether it is worthwhile to further investigate the Lelylijn in the form of an MIRT exploration.

Added value Lelylijn
Bergsma emphasizes that the added value of the project is the Lelylijn broad and diverse. “It is about more than a rail connection. The rail line brings travel time reduction. The focus is not only on economic opportunities, but on broad prosperity.

A railroad line involves stations, and spatial developments for living, working and recreation around those stations. Such developments have significance for the region and for the Netherlands in the long term. And on top of that, there are opportunities to do much more with the Lelylijn than simply laying a railroad line through the region. For example, we see co-coupling opportunities for themes such as nature, water, energy and agriculture that are worth exploring.

For example, between Heerenveen and Drachten lies the Van Oordt’s Mersken nature reserve. The A7 national highway was built right through this area 50 years ago. Now the question arises what should happen when Lelylijn will also pass through this area. Do we lay the railroad next to the national highway, or is this an opportunity to restore and strengthen the natural values there by having the railroad and national highway cross the nature reserve at grade? It may sound ambitious, but we believe the Lelylijn requires us to deal with spatial issues differently. This kind of intervention in an area has a lot of impact. In addition, there are many different interests. Making good choices in this is a challenge.”

De Lelylijn and economic opportunities for the Northern Netherlands
One of the main questions that emerges is whether the Lelylijn will actually have a positive effect on the economy of the Northern Netherlands. What these effects will be and how they can be examined is still a quest. Bergsma mentions that the intention is that the arrival of the Lelylijn will lead to strengthening the economic structure of the northern Netherlands. “It is not only about expanding and supporting existing activity, but also about attracting specific knowledge and qualities, promoting innovation and addressing income inequality.”

One concrete example Bergsma cites is attracting medical personnel to hospitals in the North of the Netherlands. “It can be a challenge to convince a good doctor to work in the North, especially if his or her partner has a job elsewhere in the country. With the Lelylijn, the distances between the Randstad and Northern Netherlands would be significantly reduced, making such obstacles less relevant.”

Family man with love for the North
Bergsma is a born and raised Frisian. He is married and has four children and recently became a proud grandfather of his grandson. “I love the North and I enjoy the peace and space here. At the same time, I worry and I am convinced that something must be done to prevent us from going in the wrong direction here. Problems in the housing market, young people moving away and an aging population, not being able to fill vacancies and backlogs in education and care are problems that require attention. De Lelylijn can potentially play an important role in this.”

Bergsma started his career as a traffic expert, but his field of work soon became increasingly broad. In previous positions, he dealt with area development, real estate development, planning, urban planning and infrastructure. With his extensive experience in preparing and shaping plans, from concept phase to implementation, he knows what he is talking about. “De Lelylijn is more than an ambitious infrastructure project; it represents a vision of the future of the Netherlands.”

View the Wood Coal outline of the integral Development Perspective of the Lelylijn here.