The residents of the village of Riel are very concerned about the arrival of a large group of migrant workers just across the border with Tilburg. On that spot, near Riel, a new complex for 366 migrant workers is being built. The plan was forged by the municipality of Tilburg, but the residents of Riel do not like it at all. They are concerned about the large number of migrants that will be received so close to the village, as emerged on Tuesday evening during an information meeting in Tilburg.
The large-scale migrant complex is just being built on Tilburg territory, but instinctively it is much closer to the village of Riel than to the city.
A total of 366 migrant workers can live for a maximum of one year in the four-storey complex, which will be surrounded from the outside by greenery. The labor migrants go to work in Tilburg, especially in logistics. The municipality of Tilburg wants to provide housing for up to 5000 migrant workers in the coming years. The municipality sees the complex on the Rielseweg as one of the possibilities.
“The real concerns that we have expressed, the municipality has not done anything about it.”
About 250 inhabitants, mainly from Riel, wanted to hear and see what the project developer and the employment agency were planning on Tuesday. Even though there was admiration for the architect’s beautiful sketches, the criticism of the large number of residents and the nuisance that this can cause continued.
Roy van Gorkom is a councilor in Goirle and a member of the sounding board group that was able to think along with the municipality. “We were sabbed by Tilburg. The real concerns that we have expressed, the municipality has done nothing with.”
Van Gorkom thus points to the fear of a great deal of pressure on the village if 366 labor migrants settle there. Traffic congestion is also expected to increase. Other residents of Riel are concerned about the crowds in the local supermarket De Boerenschuur.
But the initiators, the employment agency Carrière and the municipality of Tilburg, think that the 366 labor migrants will not focus on Riel but on Tilburg. According to them, they come by bus from Poland to the Netherlands and they will mainly be transported to work by bus. Most Poles do their shopping in the Polish shops, Tilburg has at least four.
“The Netherlands thrives on labor migrants. We need all the hands.”
The employment agency paints a picture of employees enjoying themselves around the green building with bicycles, football fields, picnic benches and a fitness room. And the people from Riel can use the same gym for free.
But the city council and the municipal council of Goirle, which Riel falls under, are also skeptical about the plans of their neighboring municipality. Goirle had just decided to only provide small-scale shelter. Now Tilburg is coming up with such a large-scale complex just across the border. “We are still in talks with Tilburg,” says alderman Liselotte Franssen. “But it is clear that we are not waiting for large-scale reception.”
Alderman Yusuf Çelik of the municipality of Tilburg believes that the Rielseweg is a good place for new housing for migrant workers. And even though he emphasizes that nothing has been decided yet, it seems that the Tilburg city council wants to stick to this place. Çelik: “The Netherlands thrives on labor migrants. We need every hand. We opt for large-scale reception because we then have a better idea of the quality.”