People in the north Groningen village of Ganzedijk, which hit the headlines in February when the local council announced plans to demolish all 57 houses, are fighting back, the Volkskrant reports on Monday.

The ensuing row led to the demolition being shelved, but the residents themselves now want to make sure the plan finally ends up in the paper shredder, the paper says.
Supported by local councillor Jaap Huurman, they’ve come up with a list of ideas to improve the village; some of the empty houses should be done up and turned into bed and breakfast cottages, the yet-to-be built village hall could be let out for corporate pow-wows and the village could produce and sell its own electricity.
Other improvements have already been made, the paper says. Village children are now drawing up plans for the new, council-funded playground and there has been a village barbecue.
Even the local housing corporation has hung curtains at the windows of the empty houses and is mowing their lawns, the paper says.