The municipalities themselves, but also at the provincial and national levels, are paying increasing attention to rural areas. As social challenges accumulate, such as energy transition and climate adaptation – all looking for space – the rural area is also being looked at. However, the rural area has its own challenges and it is certainly not a blank slate where all the space is available. with the Novi, Beautiful Holland and more than 20 national programmes, including the National Program for Rural Areas, the government is trying to control. This webinar will discuss how municipalities view developments in their rural areas, what ambitions they have and what role they can and want to play.

However, implementation must take place at the municipal level, often in consultation with or motivated by the local community itself. During this webinar, the interview with Martijn Vervaet from the municipality of Peel en Maas discusses, among other things, the transformation of intensive livestock farming in his municipality. In this case, scaling up companies has reduced emissions, and in the choices of which companies to convert, has reduced nuisance in the cores as well. In the role played by the municipality, it is also important to monitor the timing of initiatives from the community itself. Connecting too early can affect available energy and can place the municipality in a directive role, when facilitation is often sufficient. Lessons from his story and conversation with participants also touch on the attention required for internal organization, management and delegation to ensure that the municipality achieves results with external stakeholders.

The webinar begins with two presentations by Rod Dorenbos (platform 31) and Jenny May (VINU) about the municipal focus on rural transformations and the national program for the rural area respectively. After these presentations and the interview with Martijn Vervaet, there is an exchange of views with the 45 participants of this webinar in which their practical experience is widely shared.