After years of begging, pushing and pulling, the time has finally come: young people in Assen get a youth center in the former ING Bank on Jan Fabriciusstraat. The city council unanimously agreed tonight.
“That I can still experience this,” sighs councilor Luc Rengers, now in the 70 and more than 23 years of a councilor in Assen. He has been a warm advocate for many years for his own place for young people in the city. He used to do that as a PvdA councilor, nowadays on behalf of Assen.
All parties heartily support the new youth center. Especially since the plan has been created in very close collaboration with the youth in recent months. More than a thousand young people have thought along. And also what the best place was.
All political parties do think that local residents of the building should be better involved in the plan. There must be good and regular consultation with the neighborhood. Because also for the council fractions it was a big damper a few weeks ago when they heard that local residents felt robbed by the plan.
A letter from the municipality, stating that the vacant bank building was purchased for a youth center, some local residents had fallen raw on the roof. They were ‘in shock’ and are afraid of nuisance and disruption of the night’s sleep.
Good contact with the neighborhood is now the credo, all fractions think. “Unknown makes unloved, we repeat the call to handle the local residents carefully,” said Stadspartij Plop. “Make the circle around the youth center bigger, involve everyone and stay in conversation with each other.”
Plop councilor Janna Booij is confident that it will be fine. She counts on a spectacular opening party with the neighborhood before the council elections of March next year.
ChristenUnie, PvdA, VVD and GroenLinks also explicitly called on the college to get started as quickly as possible with all the worries that live there among local residents. “Ensure a permanent contact person, take safety measures, and make good agreements. A good relationship with the neighborhood is important for the success of the youth center.”
Alderman Jan Broekema (SP) made that commitment. “We are only now at the beginning, we are going to complete the plan together, with the young people and with the neighborhood.” According to Broekema, young people are also willing to take responsibility towards the neighborhood. “They would like to work with each other.” An information evening will follow soon with the intention of talking to the neighborhood about the worries that live there.
The renovation of the youth center costs almost 2 million euros. Annual costs are 550,000 euros. The planning is that the youth center will open in the first quarter of next year.