ANPA asphalt plant APN in Nijmegen
In association with
Omroep Gelderland
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 15:01
The municipality of Nijmegen is buying out the controversial asphalt plant APN. The purchase must be completed before New Year’s Eve, after which the company will close. The building will then be demolished.
According to the municipality, the conversation about the future of the company and the buyout started when Dura Vermeer, owner of the plant, applied to double production. Urban development councilor Noël Vergunst adds Omroep Gelderland that it is a “unique tailor-made solution for an exceptional situation.”
The asphalt plant right next to a residential area has been causing unrest for years, both among local residents and the municipality. The factory is part of the largest inner-city industrial estate in the Netherlands and causes a lot of nuisance.
After numerous complaints, there was an unannounced environmental audit at APN in June 2021. This then showed that there was an increased concentration of hazardous substances. In a number of cases the standard was exceeded by a factor of 17. During new measurements this spring, an increased concentration of toxic substances was again measured. This involved carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).
In despair
Local residents reacted with despair and alarm to the fact that the “dirty smelly factory” continued to operate and cause pollution. The municipality forced the factory to take measures and imposed penalty payments. But Omroep Gelderland also reported in August that discussions were taking place about a buyout arrangement.
This afternoon it became clear that an agreement has been reached. The municipality pays APN an amount of almost 7 million euros to close the doors.
The company says in a response that it thanks the municipality for “constructive discussions”, which have led to a structural solution for all parties. “In the fifty years that APN has been located in Nijmegen, more and more homes have been built close to our asphalt plant. The residential area has, as it were, grown towards the asphalt plant,” the company said. “This is also special compared to other asphalt plants in the Netherlands.”
Towards the end
Asphalt production in Nijmegen will stop at the end of this calendar year. “We will use the coming months to fulfill orders, process stocks, dismantle the power plant and hand over the site to the municipality of Nijmegen,” APN said in a response.
According to the municipality, the demolition will take about a year. It is still unclear what will happen to the site.
2023-11-07 14:01:00
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