A temporary school building may be opened in the Nieuwveense Landen district in Meppel in the autumn of 2025. The mayor and aldermen have proposed converting the Learning Work Center (LWC) on Bremenbergweg into a temporary school.
The building must ensure that the many children in the district can go to school in their own environment.
The temporary school is intended to meet educational needs until the new construction of the integrated child center is completed in 2027. This will soon provide accommodation for two primary schools and childcare.
The fast-growing neighborhood now has around 200 families with children of primary school age, and that number will continue to increase through the construction of 160 homes per year. Councilor Jeannet Bos emphasizes: “With the temporary location, the youngest children can go to school in their own neighborhood until the new building is ready.”
The renovation of the building will cost 1.3 million euros. Councilor Bos explains: “Although this is a significant investment, it meets a major social need. The building will also contribute to making our real estate more sustainable and may also be used for other social functions in the future.” The intention is for the temporary school to be designed sustainably and free of natural gas.
The plans are positively received by education. Herman Langhorst and Niels Strolenberg, directors of the KindPunt Foundation and the Promes Foundation, say: “Parents regularly ask when their children can go to school in the neighborhood. The temporary location offers children from the youngest groups an educational place in their own neighborhood, which reduces the pressure on illuminated other schools in Meppel.”
The temporary location also offers an opportunity to further shape the collaboration between the two primary schools, Kindcentrum Noorderveld and KindPunt Gavelanden.
The current users of the LWC on Bremenbergweg are moving to CCM De Plataan. The LWC offers support to residents who have difficulty finding work. The move has no consequences for the range of these services, and also offers opportunities for collaboration with other users of De Plataan.
The Meppel city council will discuss the proposal on January 30. If the council approves, the temporary school can be put into use in the fall of 2025. The municipality will organize a meeting in early 2025 to inform residents of the Nieuwveense Lands about the plans.