Party at the Meerzicht camp, in Matzelot, on the border of Groningen and Drenthe. Because the residents signed a holiday park buy-back contract.

So they can continue to enjoy the peace in the garden. Many vacation home owners live in a small city apartment, but here they can enjoy being outdoors.

Demolish your house yourself?

Six months ago, things looked very different for them. They have received a letter from the new owner, Europarks. He wanted to restructure the park, that is, to build new, more luxurious houses and rent them out.

So the current residents had to leave and also had to demolish their homes themselves, says Daniela van Gennep, a board member of the Leekstermeer Park interest association.

But some of the current owners of houses in Meerzicht have been coming there for 40 or 50 years. And they didn’t want to leave.

Wonderful birthday

Now there is a middle ground. The residents would buy back the park and the vacant plots would be developed by Europarks, commissioned by the new owner: the Leicestermere Park Interests Association.

Garden Homeowner Tanya Tamina is one of the garden’s residents and is happy: “We’re not only buying our garden, we’re also buying our community and upkeep. And that’s important, we have a great Christmas!”