For more than a year now, the view of the residents of the Oude Binnenhaven in Bergen op Zoom has been dominated by a row of white sandbags. “It seems as if we live here in a permanent disaster area with those sandbags in front of the door, terrible,” says one resident. She and her neighbors are done with it.
In October 2021, the quay walls on the North and South side of the Port were reinforced with sandbags. According to the municipality, this was necessary to prevent the building from collapsing. The walls were corroded by old tree roots. But the residents mainly attribute the decay to overdue maintenance by the municipality.
“We have been dealing with this misery for a year now.”
“I’m glad it’s foggy because then we won’t see the sandbags. For me, the measure is full,” says Ben de Groot, who also lives on the Oude Binnenhaven. His neighbor Coen Jansen agrees with him. “When I open the curtains in the morning, I have the feeling that it has snowed. We have been dealing with this misery for a year now.”
Flip Aertssen of the Bergen op Zoom Inner City Association had last contact with two aldermen involved about the issue last week. “The Board has done some research, but it has been carried out very briefly. No concrete commitment has been made yet.”
Spokesman Erwin Stander of the municipality of Bergen op Zoom confirms that it is not yet clear how and when the quay walls will be tackled. Because there is no money for the time being, the work is not on the agenda for next year either. The residents are slowly becoming discouraged.
“It’s not worth the look.”
“It makes me angry because I don’t feel heard. The municipality has made a mess of it by not carrying out maintenance in the past. Weeds are now also starting to grow between the bags and there are bags that have been torn open. It is not worth the look,” says Coen Jansen.
“Bergen op Zoom wants to profile itself as a historic city with a beautiful harbor,” he continues. “Visitors come here full of expectation and then they are confronted with this sight. That is of course awful. This must be tackled in the very short term with the help of subsidies. Because now the city is completely missing the point.”
