The opening of a new reception location for Ukrainian refugees in Groningen was canceled at the last minute. The municipality of Groningen has requested too little power capacity from grid operator Enexis.
“It is a stupid mistake,” says a spokeswoman for the municipality of Groningen. “There was enough power for the construction, but we forgot to also arrange capacity for the eventual shelters.” As a result, 65 residential units on Maresiusstraat in the De Held/Gravenburg district may be empty in the coming months. This concerns 35 containers for families and thirty studios for two people.
According to Enexis, the problem cannot be solved in the short term. “We can’t blame them for that. The company has made every effort to still supply sufficient power. We were told on Friday that it will not work,” the spokesperson said. The municipality is looking at whether it can temporarily arrange something itself, for example with generators. “We do look at the costs. This is a major setback. I can tell you that those responsible for this feel pretty bad.”
The intention was that refugees from the reception locations in the Paddepoel and Onnen district would move to Maresiusstraat. That will not happen for the time being. Residents living near the new shelter were informed of the postponement by letter on Wednesday. They were recently able to take a look at the residential containers during an open day.
Damage still unknown
The municipality cannot yet say how extensive the damage is. “We don’t know what it costs to provide our own energy. We need experts for that. In any case, the containers will remain uninhabited here for the time being, which is why we do not receive any income from the government for this project.” ‘The Hague’ currently reimburses the reception costs of Ukrainian refugees.
Fear of vandalism
Local residents are astonished by the municipality’s announcement. A group that is continuously kept informed of developments was informed first. “Then you think: what is the municipality doing? Or rather, how can you overlook this?” says one resident. ,,What is going to happen now? We are concerned about the condition of the site if the shelter remains empty for weeks or months.”
According to residents, the neighborhood has been promised that vandalism will be prevented by securing the shelter location for 24 hours. “There are cameras and they will often be here to keep an eye on things. The point is that it is a big box of light in the evening. When you see that, you wonder if it’s not a bit of an exaggeration.”