A survey for the nature management ministry this week found that 60% of the population expect the Dutch landscape become uglier over the next five years. The Dutch have a skewed relationship with their landscape.

Of course vast chunks of the land — such as the endless flat plains of Groningen and Flevoland — was created by the Dutch themselves by reclaiming it from the sea. And their love of order and regulation can be seen in the neat lines of evenly-spaced trees planted in all those new ‘recreation areas’.
Even the most charming spots seem to have something to spoil them – the endless drone of a motorway, a string of tower blocks on the horizon, a belching factory clearly visible from the beach.
So who is to blame for the deteroriation in landscape quality? According to this week’s poll, the bad guys are, of course, national and local government, industry and, worst of all, project developers.
These are behind the increasing sprawl of housing and industrial estates. After all, they hand out the building permits and develop the sites.
But perhaps the real villain of the piece is Mr Average himself, who dreams of a house and garden in the country, just a short drive from the office. The Netherlands is a small country and space is a premium. You can either look at it, or live in it. But you cannot have both.