Bas van Haastrecht, owner of Palènpa Park

Bas, what is your link with Haarlemmermeer?  

I myself grew up in Haarlemmermeer. When I was 7 months young, my parents moved from Amsterdam to Hoofddorp. I have been living in Hoofddorp for over 50 years now. So I have a lot of connection with that.  

I am the owner of the Palènpa hut construction company. We originally started Palènpa Park with the two of us. Addy came up with the idea and I set up the company with him. In the meantime, Addy is no longer actively involved with Palènpa and I am the one who runs the company. 

As a little boy I spent endless hours strolling through the polder and playing. I used to build hay huts on different farms. That is also where my passion for building huts comes from. I did this many times in my youth. We also sailed a lot through the Netherlands with the family and on arrival we always went into the forest. Where there were useful materials, we built huts, with branches and old wood. 
 

What is there to do at Palenpa Park? 

We have special building plots here. These are private pieces of lawn where a construction kit is ready. The name Palènpa comes from poles and panels. Such a kit contains panels, poles for walls, roofs and bridges. There are also long and short poles. With this you build huts and towers. You connect them with each other by means of large bolts and nuts. So you don't have to saw and hammer. Your own hands are the only tools you need with us.  
 

Anyone can build that way and put something together quickly. The concept is accessible. Within an hour and a half you have built three huts and a tower from such a kit. You can also celebrate a children's party here. It is an ideal way for the children to enjoy the outdoors. The game starts automatically, you don't have to do anything for that. 

Until what age can you build huts in Palènpa Park? 

The age category is from 4 to 14 years. In addition, groups of adults are also increasingly coming along, for example as a team building outing. But the huts are mainly built for and by children. Construction is always under the supervision of adults, such as parents or teachers. They can supervise during construction. With younger children you often have to help a little more and lift the heavier parts.  
 

At the end of the activity you dismantle the hut yourself. Dismantling is also really part of the concept. The nice thing about building is that you put everything together yourself and can be proud of what you have made.  
 

In what way is Palènpa Park concerned with sustainability? 

The material used to build the huts can all be reused. By using nuts and bolts you can take everything apart and use it again for the next hut. So it is a very sustainable concept.  
 

We work with impregnated pine wood. This is the same type of wood used for garden fences. Because it has been processed, it can last a very long time and the wood is well protected against weather influences. The wood is also planed so it is quite smooth. As a result, children hardly run the risk of getting splinters in their fingers while building the huts. The material is very safe and accessible. 
 

The original form of building huts, with old wood and loose wild branches, is also cool. But in practice this happens less and less often, especially when you live in the city. However, children still have a natural tendency to build huts. As a child you really start to make your own world in this way. At Palènpa Park we encourage children to do this again. 

How did you come to the location of Palènpa Park?  

Our location was created by chance. In 2020, we were just ready to start, but our market fell away. At the time, we were planning to sell cabin kits to campsites and outdoor parks. But due to the corona pandemic, these locations had to close. 
 

As a result, we started looking for a place where people could independently build our huts. With an appropriate one and a half meters away, so completely corona-proof and with the help of a clear manual and an instructional video.  

 
We got into conversation with Dirk Molenaar of Landgoed Kleine Vennep. He was open to our idea. It also fitted well into his own plans because the estate was still under development. Thanks to the addition of Palènpa Park, people can immediately discover this beautiful estate. 

What are the future plans for Palènpa Park, are there any fun things planned? 

We have a new addition to the park for this year. You can now also combine building huts with archery tag (shooting with a bow and arrow), or with special “gel blasters”. This is a kind of paintball but without paint. Instead, there are small biodegradable balls with water in them, which you shoot at your opponents.  

So this year you can build huts and set up an arena with scaffolding yourself, after which you can compete with each other. This makes building huts even more adventurous. 
 

What makes your company unique in Haarlemmermeer? 

The concept of Palènpa Park does not exist anywhere else. It is really a unique product. We also hear this from the visitors, who tell us how they experience building huts. It is a simple concept, with posts, panels, bolts and nuts, but you can still create an interesting structure with it. It is challenging and accessible at the same time. 

What are you proud of as a resident and entrepreneur of Haarlemmermeer? 

I am proud that there are the necessary social and green sustainable initiatives in our municipality. I will also show it – in addition to Palènpa Park – on the HeelHaarlemmermeer platform. In this way we make Haarlemmermeer even more beautiful together. As an entrepreneur and as a resident, I am really involved in the place where I live.  
 
What I also like is that I notice that many go-getters live and work in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. Something is really being done. There are many people who do not wait endlessly, but simply take action.  

I am also proud of our location, Landgoed Kleine Vennep. Many people don't know this place yet, because 5 years ago this was still farmland. Dirk is increasingly busy making the estate more beautiful step by step and attracting people here for recreation.  

I invite everyone to come here for a day and discover this special estate. And for anyone who likes to build huts, Palènpa Park is a paradise!