After several years of waiting, it was finally time for Valerie and Chicco: their wedding dinner was planned on September 22, 2022, the day before their 9-year anniversary. But that was suddenly put a line through it when the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (CAO) decided to transform the Van der Valk Hotel in Purmerend into a reception location for refugees. “It’s terrible, we were not informed by the hotel,” says Valerie.
The COA (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers) has concluded a rental agreement with Van der Valk for six months, from 1 September 2022. This news has the college surprised. The city council and the direct neighbors of the hotel have been informed.
However, Valerie had not been notified three days after this decision. “My parents forwarded the news that Van der Valk would become a reception location, but they had not informed us at all yet.”
On Wednesday 16 August, the central government informed the municipality that COA will use the location as a reception area. “And we only heard about it when we called the Van der Valk itself on Friday. Their response was that they had not yet got around to informing us.”
Communication
Valerie emphasizes that she understands that the reception of refugees takes precedence over her wedding dinner, but is very dissatisfied with the way of communication of the Van der Valk hotel. “It was really annoying to find out in this way that it is not going ahead. Everything was arranged and reserved. Fortunately we hadn’t paid yet.”
“I think it’s very bad for people that they have to leave their own country and safe home because of war or other problems. I don’t wish that on anyone”
“I think it’s very bad for people that they have to leave their own country and safe home because of war or other problems. I don’t wish that on anyone and I think it’s very good that municipalities are making places available for this,” says Valerie.
“But I do think that full is really full. Our own young adults can hardly find a place to live, and they hardly think about it. And an entire hotel is being emptied for this, so that people like me – who have already planned things – with The hands are in the hair and get even more stress. It is also a shame that this was only discussed with Van der Valk and not with the municipality, as far as is known.”
Alternative
Valerie and Chicco would be together for nine years on September 23. They have been living together for almost 1.5 years now. “We don’t quite know what we’re going to do now,” says Valerie. “We are now going to see what is feasible, to arrange something elsewhere. We hope that this will work with only a month to go. I am especially sorry that we have not heard anything from Van der Valk himself about the sequel, a alternative, or the costs incurred so far. Unfortunately, communication is very poor.”
Reaction Van der Valk
NH Nieuws has made several requests to Van der Valk to provide a response to this story, but has not received an answer.
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