And Puy du Fou planned to build a sixty-hectare theme park in an area north of Meppel. Shows and performances on the history of the Netherlands and Europe would be held in the park. The goal was 800,000 visitors per year, starting in 2027.
There would be no attractions such as a roller coaster or Ferris wheel in the park, but there would be shows about the history of the Netherlands and the region. But now the plans are shelved.
The municipality of Meppel and the province of Drenthe had previously announced that they were satisfied with the arrival of the attraction. Since the name of the park was first mentioned in 2019, several consultations have taken place.
However, there have also been parties who have expressed concern about the arrival of the park. Residents of the area are not eager to welcome the arrival. The neighboring municipalities, De Wolden and Westerveld, for example, have underlined that the arrival of the park could also hinder other ambitions. The area was also the focus of attention for energy production. Doubts also on the part of the business world.
After Puy du Fou informed the municipality of Meppel that the theme park would not be coming to the Netherlands, MP Willemien Meeuwissen (VVD) quickly received the news. “I haven’t heard all the details yet, but I understand this was decided because of the size of the investment.”
According to Meeuwissen, Puy du Fou chose to stage shows in England and Italy, without building a completely new park for this. “I suspect the investment is smaller, but I’m not sure yet. This is also hot off the press for me,” she says.
“We still had to understand together what the arrival of the park would mean for Drenthe”, continues the deputy. “What do they need, what do we want as a Province and what can we do?” he summarizes him. “We could have made all kinds of choices about it, but we would have had to work through the whole process further.”
“I went to the park and thought it was a very beautiful park,” Meeuwissen says of a previous visit to Puy du Fou park. Is this a missed opportunity for Drenthe now that the park isn’t coming to Meppel? “There were definitely some positives,” she concludes approvingly.
2024-01-10 16:33:48
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