WUR has now set their eyes a few hundred meters down the road and bought the Versailles of Bennekom: Groot Nergena.
Last year it seemed almost certain that a new solar park would arise on WUR’s property. However, the plan faced a lot of resistance from both farmers and nature conservationists. The divide was evident in the vote held by the city council of Ede: the votes were tied and the plan would have gone through had one council member not abstained from voting because of conflict of interests.
In September the plan was finally canceled, but luckily there are more ways to become Sun King : You can for example organise extravagant ballets, or wear a weird wig, but WUR focused on real estate instead. That is, if you can buy a real estate: Groot Nergena, an estate that looks like Versailles, and that will hold a place for companies that “wish to locate close to [WUR], but, on account of their autonomy, not on the campus”.
So, do you also want to stay independent? Come join WUR in their private estate. Anyway, it is clear: WUR will not let a small setback ruin their year. They are determined to become the true Sun King of the Valley – Le Roi Soleil du Vallei.