There will be no reception location for asylum seekers in Geertruidenberg for the time being. The city council was against the plan. The mayor and aldermen decided on Tuesday to follow that. It is not clear whether there will be a new plan now.
The municipality had proposed in May to accommodate one hundred to two hundred asylum seekers in the former Hermenzeil recreation center for about five years. It is located on the Oude Maasje, approximately between Raamsdonksveer and Waalwijk. It should have become the reception location for the entire Baronie region.
It is still unclear whether there will be a new plan. Mayor Marian Witte and the aldermen want to discuss this with the municipal council in the near future. According to Mayor Witte, the city council “is in favor of humane reception of refugees and asylum seekers, but not at the Hermenzeil location. I appreciate this attitude, because it gives room for further dialogue about this in the future.”
Last week, the Utrecht municipality of Houten withdrew a plan for the reception of asylum seekers. According to the municipality, the possible arrival of asylum seekers “raised concerns and questions”. A location should have been built on the edge of the town where up to 175 asylum seekers would be given shelter for fifteen years.