Entrepreneurs in the area call the old building in the Zuiderhoofdstraat “a thorn in the eye” and find it ‘fire hazard’. René van Hoeve, who lives next to the house, experiences a lot of nuisance. “There is repeatedly burglary and it is not maintained, it is fire hazard,” he says. Van Hoeve is one of the signatories of the petition.
‘Ugly, dirty and smelly’
Retailers are also bothered by the state of the building. Jolanda Nijdam, who has a store opposite the deserted building, calls it ‘ugly, dirty and stinking’. Yet she did not sign the petition. She hopes that the building can be refurbished. “But if that is no longer possible, it has to be against the plain,” she says.
The municipality acknowledges Van Groeningen’s concerns, but also has an application for a monument status. “We have to find out whether the building is monument -worthy and that is why we now have the report made,” says Natasja Groothuismink who has monuments and heritage in its portfolio as alderman.
Don’t talk to the press
The owner of the building wants to talk to the media as long as the investigation is ongoing. “That is advised by the municipality,” he said by telephone. Alderman Groothuismink says he knows nothing about it. “There are a lot of supporters and opponents and I can imagine that this also does something with the owner. I think we just have to wait for the report and hold conversations with the owner.”
Van Groeningen says he has little faith in the municipality “first see, then believe,” he says. The report must be finished in the autumn.