Meerwijk Castle in Den Bosch will receive refugees for three months. It concerns the emergency shelter of 75 people who are being transferred from Ter Apel. They arrive on Thursday.
The initiative comes from hotel chain Van Der Valk, which is assisted by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). Van der Valk arranges ‘the reception, catering, guidance and security for the refugees’ together with the COA, the municipality reports.
The castle was recently sold to well-known superyacht builder Frans Heesen from Oss. His exact role in this decision is still unclear.
More shelter places
The decision comes after an ‘urgent request’ from the State Secretary to municipalities for more reception places for refugees.
“We express our appreciation for the initiative that Van der Valk is taking in this together with COA”, the municipality concludes in a letter to the Council.
