Not only residents of the Vasalis building in Roden are disappointed with plans to make way for elderly residents for care apartments, the board of Stichting Noorderkroon is also not happy. In fact, foundation chairman Roelof Houwing says he feels ‘fucked up’.
Houwing made this statement shortly after an information session at the town hall in Roden. Both the Noorderkroon foundation, housing association Woonborg and Zorggroep Drenthe had their say about the plans for the Vasalis building.
Woonborg wants to rent 21 of the current 56 apartments in the Vasalis building to Zorggroep Drenthe, which in turn should turn them into care apartments. A new place must be found for the current older residents of those apartments.
Houwing is surprised by the turn of events. Woonborg owns De Noorderkroon, an apartment complex on the south side of Roden. For years, Houwing and his foundation board have said that they have been in discussions with Woonborg about new construction to a greater or lesser extent, but since last summer it has become apparent that Woonborg actually wants to realize new homes in the Vasalis building.
While Stichting Noorderkroon sold its real estate to Woonborg years earlier on the assumption that the housing association would develop it further. “That fact gives our foundation the right to exist,” says Houwing. In his opinion, the fact that he had to hear from the press in July 2024 that Woonborg was targeting ‘Vasalis’ does not deserve any beauty prize.
Outgoing director Esther Borstlap experienced a difficult evening in the Roner town hall. She faced a council that adopted a motion last December in which it indicated that it regretted the current state of affairs surrounding Vasalis.
“But we don’t just make this offer,” says Borstlap. “We are prepared to invest almost four million euros in living space in the municipality.”
She uses the vision of Zorggroep Drenthe as a guideline. Through Gerben Krewinkel, the healthcare organization indicated that it believes that elderly care belongs in the center, rather than in a ‘separate location’.
According to Krewinkel, future residents of Vasalis – who require much more care than current residents – will actually use the center. “We also see this in other locations. People still want to be able to go to a store and be part of society. But they need intensive and unplanned care. That is easiest in the center.”
“It’s a brutal question, I understand that,” says Esther Borstlap a little later. “We are asking current residents to make a sacrifice for long-term care.”
The Noordenveld municipal council has not yet taken the time to find out about the plans of Woonborg and Zorggroep Drenthe. That will only come when the permit application has been submitted. According to Borstlap, that is a matter of weeks.
Between the lines, the same municipal council’s skepticism towards the plans was palpable. When Woonborg director Borstlap asked residents of Vasalis to discuss ‘a suitable solution’ (read: relocation), Tineke Nieboer (Lijst Groen Noordenveld) replied: “Why didn’t you discuss with the residents, while these plans already exist? were tabled in 2020?”
After a while, Borstlap indicated that he had some difficulty with that consideration. “Before you bother people with this, you should first be sure whether you think this is a good plan.”
Woonborg and Zorggroep Drenthe still think so. “And so we now invite people to have a conversation.” To Borstlap’s regret, this has not yet been heeded.
The last word on ‘Vasalis plan’ has not yet been spoken, it appears once again. The municipal council is awaiting the permit application and will then consider the plan publicly.
Woonborg director Borstlap will certainly not see the end of this file. She will work for the Domesta housing association in Emmen from April 1. “I leave Woonborg with the idea that Woonborg wants to do this and wants to collaborate with Zorggroep Drenthe. They will continue with the plans and that does not depend on whether I or another director is there.”