The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers will probably not achieve the agreed expansion and opening of the asylum center on Sint Petersburgweg in Groningen. This is painful given the serious shortage of shelter places.
The agreement was that the residential units would be ready on March 15. They must enable the growth from 100 to 600 asylum seekers. COA spokesperson Alet Bouwmeester confirms that work is lagging behind. “We are unable to construct all the buildings needed for the asylum seekers’ center there in time.”
Postponement had been on the cards for weeks after the discussion erupted in December about living at the former and contaminated dredging depot on the Eems Canal. Asbestos, among other things, has been found on this site. The province refused to issue a permit after critical advice from the Groningen environmental department. The municipality was in complete shock and took legal action.
Azc very desirable
To the outside world, the province and municipality kept their ranks closed. They hastened to say that a larger asylum seeker center on the sludge hump is highly desirable. However, PvdA deputy Tjeerd van Dekken indicated that he did not want to take the issue lightly. Nevertheless, it had to be possible to adapt with some additional measures.
The environmental service, which supervises the implementation of environmental regulations on behalf of the municipalities and the province, will provide further advice. It is not known how the discussions between the municipality, province and COA about possible additional measures and the distribution of additional clean-up costs will proceed. All parties do not make any statements about this.
Two delays
It is clear that the municipality of Groningen has choked on the regulations. Municipal lawyers are putting some pressure on the province. It is being examined whether covering asbestos with cloth and a layer of new soil is sufficient. The contaminated site is larger than the plot on which the residential units are located. The province has not yet responded to questions about the state of affairs.
It is the second time in a short time that the reception of refugees in Groningen has been delayed. Due to a blunder, the reception of 200 Ukrainian refugees in the intended De Held III district is delayed. The municipality forgot to request sufficient power capacity from Enexis. The network company announces that the reception project will be placed on a waiting list of complexes to be connected.