Assen Approves Plan for 150 Temporary Houses Despite Strong Opposition

For many council parties it is important that there is a housing crisis, and that young people in Asain are particularly keen on affordable housing. Assen must also offer sufficient housing for status holders. In addition, the housing is flexible for emergency seekers who, for whatever reason, suddenly no longer have a roof over their heads.

There is strong opposition in the region against the flex region. Entrepreneurs in the vicinity of the Groene Dijk business park and some residents of Kloosterveen believe that the 150 flexible homes are far too much for the place. They also fear a dangerous situation, a fear that is partly fueled by the housing of status holders.

CDA and Lijst De Rijke tried to fulfill their objections by demanding that the flex area at Groene Dijk’s location should not exceed sixty homes. Both parties want at least one or two more places for the other ninety flexible homes. But other council groups did not go with their change proposal.

“We understand that 150 homes suddenly shows some feelings in the area, but the severe lack of accommodation is a priority for the PvdA,” said party leader Cindy Vorselman. “offering 150 families a safe, quiet place to live, where they can feel at home. I wish the new residents of this area a warm welcome to Kloosterveen.”

However, all political parties want ‘helpful and generous’ dealings with entrepreneurs and houseboat dwellers in the area. “Keep the conversation going, listen to their ideas.” For example, houseboat dwellers don’t want to lose their green neighborhood. They’ve been maintaining public greenery for years, courtesy of the town, including a forest wall and gardens. But without warning, a large part of the trees that separated them from the future flexible community have already been cut down. It has been promised to be replanted.

For the protesting entrepreneurs, who bought a business plot on the Groene Dijk a few years ago with different expectations, the city must look at the available solutions. “Continue to talk to them, support them as much as you can. And also look at moving somewhere else if they don’t want to be next to flexible housing,” said the PvdA.

The 150 flexible homes will be partly owned by the town and partly by the Actium housing association. Assen will receive 96 flexible homes from the Central Government Housing Agency, which came as a result of a contract with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers. This includes 12.5 million euros.

These first flexible homes must be put into use by January 1st. These are four three-storey residential buildings. Actium is producing the other 54 flexible homes. That’s about low buildings. These houses must be occupied by next summer. The housing association allocates every 150 flexible homes.

A group of seven entrepreneurs and residents of the Groene Dijk, some of whom have a residential plot, are responding with disappointment to the council’s decision. They won’t leave it at that and have already hired a lawyer. “We are going higher. The last word has certainly not been said about this yet,” reports Emmelien de Vries.