The COA (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers) informed the municipality of Purmerend last Tuesday about the temporary shelter for approximately 100 status holders in Van der Valk Hotel Purmerend in Zuidoostbeemster.
To this end, COA has concluded a lease with Van der Valk for six months, from 1 September 2022. This news surprised the Municipal Executive. The city council and the hotel’s immediate neighbors have been informed.
On Wednesday 16 August, the central government informed the municipality that COA will use the location as a reception area. The municipality is thereby sidelined by The Hague. Central government takes on the granting of permits through the so-called spatial planning instruments. As a result, it can be determined, outside the will of the municipality and municipal council, that a certain location will become Central Government Real Estate and the cabinet can designate it as a reception location.
This agreement between the COA and Van der Valk for hotel reception from September 1, 2022 to February 2023, may reduce the pressure on COA somewhat in the short term. The COA has made national agreements with several Van der Valk Hotels for hotel accommodation.
Uncertainty for staff
Due to the reception, Hotel Van Der Valk Purmerend will close its doors to guests from 1 September. Everyone who has a booking is personally approached by the hotel to explain the situation. The staff also do not yet know where they stand in terms of work.
Local residents can contact the COA with any questions or concerns about the reception. The hotel has room for the reception and supervision of about 100 people.
The target group consists for the most part of family members (family members, including children of people with a residence permit) and status holders. They will not stay in Zuidoostbeemster, but will move on during this reception period to another reception location or a home elsewhere in the country.
The COA takes care of the reception and guidance of these people during their short stay in the hotel. Most people have their own day and education program: they continue this during the weeks that they stay in the hotel.