Majority of Cranendonck Residents Oppose New Reception Facilities for Asylum Seekers, Survey Finds

Loitering in the village, shoplifting, theft of bicycles, calling after or whistling in the street, nuisance at the station of Maarheeze or in the train or bus. These are the most heard complaints that the researchers of the research agency I & O research have recorded. The research agency sent more than 8800 letters, barely 4500 replies were returned. Of the people who answered, 56 percent do not see a new reception for asylum seekers.

The research agency presented the results on Monday evening in Budel. When asked whether attention is paid to nuance, because many people did not complete the questionnaire, the researchers said that the picture from the survey is very similar to reality. Researcher Jaap Bouwmeester emphasized that the number of answers is very high. “We don’t see that often.”

Maarheeze
The residents of Maarheeze are most often confronted with residents of the azc. Among them are most people who have negative experiences, but also people who have positive experiences. The village is close to the azc. 65 percent of the people who live there and who responded to the survey said they had mostly negative experiences. According to the researchers, people who live closer to the azc are more willing to complete the questionnaire.

The city council has already spoken about the future of the azc. It should close in 2024 as far as the city council is concerned. But national politicians think otherwise. State Secretary Eric van der Burg would love to keep the azc open, because the reception places are badly needed.

Clean up garbage
A small group of people say they have many positive experiences with the residents of the azc. They find the residents friendly in short contacts, such as greeting them on the street. This group also appreciates that asylum seekers clean up waste and help in the vicinity of the supermarket. For example, residents of the azc cleaned shopping carts during the corona crisis.

Military
The terrain on which the azc is located belongs to the Ministry of Defence. A majority of the residents say they have no problem with the barracks being used by the military again.

The survey was received by the alderman on Monday evening. “We’re going to read it carefully first and then we’ll talk to each other about how we’re going to give substance to it.” Skepticism came from the audience: “You let us fill out a survey and say what you want, but you don’t have a say in it. It’s a survey of nothing.”