RPS East Midlands & Central Region Led Frontiers Peri Urban Project

The Dutch landscape is known for its windmills and of the 10,000 windmills in use in the Netherlands around 1850, about 1,000 are still standing.

To function properly there are some requirements regarding the direct environment of the windmill, the windmill biotope and any obstacle, like a building or a tree, that could block the wind or cause turbulence is a threat to their efficiency. In the past the miller also needed a clear line of sight to identify sudden changes in the weather conditions.

Nowadays the Dutch  want to preserve the windmills so theycan be enjoyed as part of the overall landscape. The quality of the biotope of a windmill is always under treat of urbanization and is protected by law and best practices. Unfortunately not all biotopes could be protected in the past.

In my photo documentary, to be presented in a panel format, I will describe the current threats

I am researching what a resilient community might look like in a post pandemic world that has engaged with developing a hyper-local existence to reduce the carbon footprint.

The Waterhills is a piece of land that is on the edge of the urban development of the small town I live in on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds called Caistor. It is an ancient piece of land that was used by the Romans to protect the town when it was a garrison, and over the years local people would fetch fresh water from its many streams. 

The Rock Foundation took over the historic public house that overlooks the Waterhills in 2017 and is a front-line charitable organisation that looks to create new and unique provisions for young people and adults with learning disabilities and those who are disadvantaged. The community that is developing there comes from all walks of life and my aim is to create a visual social documentary that tells the story of how they are all working together as a community.

The Nedereindseplas is now a recreational area between the cities of IJsselstein and Nieuwegein in the Province of Utrech that began as a sand mine in 1932 for the building of the Highway A2 and later also for the  development of the City of Nieuwegein in the 1970’s.

But over the years the transformation of this peri-urban space has not proved easy and at times has been an illegal dumping ground for chemicals, hospital refuse, including radioactive materials, barrels and human rubbish etc. 

The Netherlands is a fully planned and developed country with designated areas and even nature parks  are not natural anymore. It’s a small country with 17,5 million people (2021-01-01)  

My photos aim to show the use of the Nedereindseplas today as a recreational area and a peaceful  place to walk around where you feel nature is close by. The hustle and bustle of the cities are close by but in my photographs they will seem far away.