The Aurora Borealis care farm in Wedde is for sale. Six months after the much-discussed recordings for Undercover in the Netherlands, photos from the real estate agent Namaco Groningen show that moving boxes are ready.
The care farm was in the news last April after undercover journalist Alberto Stegeman broadcast serious abuses in his program Undercover in the Netherlands . The Public Prosecution Service already started an investigation last fall when Stegeman submitted the images to the Public Prosecution Service. Owners of Aurora Borealis Paul W. and Michel K were arrested and interrogated, as were a number of employees. It is not yet known when the case will come to court, according to a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service.
Broker Fokke Hamstra of Namaco Groningen doesn’t have that often such special homes for sale , he says. Not only because of the history surrounding it, but also because of the building itself. “The farm has an energy label A and is completely gas-free.” The farm was almost newly built at the time. Only the front house still has the old existing walls. Moreover, it is excellently maintained. “This is rare, especially in combination with such a group accommodation.”
Sturdy price tag
Although the property is still registered in the name of Paul W. and Michel K. according to the Land Registry, it has already been sold to another party from the Randstad. “I don’t know how they found each other,” says Hamstra. The current owner has approached the real estate agency to put the building on the market. That happened at the end of September. Hamstra has no contact with the two suspects. They are no longer in the farm either.
The photos show a range of seating areas, as well as many rooms and several kitchens. All modern, sleek and well painted. Moreover, there is an elevator. The newly built outbuilding has been converted into a fitness room. “That was used for physiotherapy,” says Hamstra. There are also several office spaces. The price tag: a cool 1.3 million euros.
‘It would be great if good care was provided here’
“There is enthusiasm for the care farm,” says Hamstra. Things are not going well, but that is usually not the case with houses in that price range, he says. These are mainly people who are interested in providing care there. There have been no disaster tourists or angry emails. “Although we kind of expected that. But it is also true: the building itself cannot do anything about what happened.”
The building was renovated by Paul W.’s son with a view to the future, says Hamstra. “That was well done. The question for the buyer is: can you get over what happened in the past?” On the edge of the village of Wedde, with a spacious garden and a view over the Westerwoldsche Aa river basin, it is a ‘low-stimulus’ place, he sees. “It would be nice if good care was provided here soon.”
According to a spokesperson for the municipality of Westerwolde, this is possible, provided the conditions are met. The building is not zoned for healthcare, for which a permit was granted in the past. This is linked to the address and can therefore be transferred to the new buyer, but the permit must be complied with exactly.