Several residents of the Tuindorp district in Coevorden are surprised about the developments surrounding the plan for housing fourteen minor status holders in their neighborhood. “We expected that we would have been able to have our say before making a decision on this.”
The residents are referring to the plan of the municipality of Coevorden to accommodate a total of fourteen minor status holders in a block of five terraced houses on Dr. JC Homanstraat, for a period of five years. “We received a letter about this some time ago, but that was it,” says Dirk Otter. “Now we hear that the plan has almost been finalized, which we find very strange.”
Local resident Vincent Roos – he lives directly opposite the proposed residential block – responds to this. “There are quite a few people in the neighborhood with doubts. We thought that there would be an information evening for the neighborhood, where we could ask questions about this plan. But now we hear that there will only be a meeting once the plan has been approved.” We find that a strange order.”
According to him, there are residents a little further away who don’t know anything about it yet. “As people living directly next door, we at least received a letter, but just down the street some people didn’t know anything about it.”
Not that the neighborhood is strongly against it, Roos explains. “We understand that these young people also have to live somewhere. But we do have our concerns when it comes to safety. After all, these are young people who come to live here without their parents. And moreover, young people who may have had traumatic experiences because they come from a war zone. How can we be sure that there will be no problems? And where should we go if there are?” Otter: “We would have liked to know more about those kinds of things in advance.”
Last Tuesday a meeting took place in the town hall, in which this subject was discussed by the council and where VVD and PPC in particular asked questions about social safety. The two local residents were not aware of that meeting. “In any case, we have not received an invitation to attend, so we did not know,” says Otter: “What we would like is for a meeting to be scheduled about this as soon as possible. Just here in the community center.”
Roos: “Or that we will at least get more information quickly, and in the entire neighborhood.”