After years of uncertainty, thanks to a unanimously adopted motion, light is once again on the horizon for caravan residents in Haarlemmermeer. The council blames the municipal executive for not paying enough attention to caravan dwellers in recent years, and calls for a rapid expansion of the number of pitches.
“It’s nice that the entire city council is behind us,” says Barry Joren. For years he has been fighting for the interests of caravan dwellers, and in particular against the shortage of pitches. The mistrust was caused by an empty promise from the municipal council in 2017.
Empty promise
After an investigation into the needs of caravan residents, the municipal executive promised at the time to look for a location for additional pitches: “But five years have now passed and no additional pitches have yet been added,” the council members said in a statement. motion.
Alderman Marjolein Steffens has been responsible for this file for several months and confirms that nothing has happened in the past five years: “It was and is not easy to find a suitable location.”
“It was and is not easy to find a suitable location”
Because of the empty promise in 2017, distrust towards the municipality has only increased. This becomes apparent when we ask Barry Joren for a response to the motion: “People are still suspicious, in fact we have been working on a place for our children since 1988. A lot has been said in recent years and little has simply happened,” says he.
Against the culture
Due to the shortage of pitches, the patience of caravan dwellers is often tested for years. Some move – against their will and contrary to their culture – to a regular home.
“There was always someone who was ahead of me or had more money”
It is not yet that far for 21-year-old Delilah, who still lives in a trailer with her boyfriend, sister and mother. The desire to leave home has been there since she was 16. “But there was always someone who was ahead of me or had more money.” Because Delilah is pregnant, she hopes to move into her own trailer with her boyfriend soon.
The support from the municipality therefore comes just in time: “I hope that the council will now press ahead.”
Alderman Steffens says in a response that he will get started with the caravan policy and the request for extra pitches: “I want to have the first talks very soon, but I am aware that this is a complex issue. Something has to be done for the local Travelers and I will do my utmost to realize expansion,” said the alderman. She adds that she was already working on this before the motion was passed.
‘extinction policy’
In addition to the inhabitants of Haarlemmermeer, hundreds of other North Hollanders are waiting at a trailer park and watch their culture slowly disappear. That is why Alkmaar caravan dwellers argued early August action, they squatted twelve chalets for Ukrainian refugees in July.
The caravan culture has been intangible cultural heritage since 2014 and a recognized form of housing since 2016. But until four years ago, municipalities allowed caravan centers to ‘die out’ in order to reduce the number of pitches to zero.
The European Court of Human Rights and the National Ombudsman ruled in 2018 that municipalities’ ‘extinction policy’ for caravan camps was discriminatory and should be abolished. Municipalities have now had four years to develop new and better policy, but there is virtually no increase in the number of caravans or caravan sites.
Cross terrain Nieuw-Vennep
In addition to existing pitches in caravan centers in Nieuw-Vennep, Abbenes, Hoofddorp and Badhoevedorp, the community in Haarlemmermeer currently needs about forty pitches. According to Barry, the cross country in Nieuw-Vennep is an ideal location to set up caravans.
“It is used twice a year and you could easily put 25 caravans there. Now I don’t want to kick people’s shins, but that would be a good location,” says Barry.
Until the municipal council designates a new location, the municipal council calls for active contact with the caravan community. In addition, it must be discussed which forms of housing are appropriate to the culture, alternative forms of housing must be found and the municipality must investigate with the province whether locations can be designated that have not yet been found to be feasible.
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North Holland
Alkmaar