Research flow-through location De Twirre

Should the municipality do this or may the municipality do this?

According to the Spreading Act, the municipality must receive 173 asylum seekers. This is the target and we do not meet it. However, the municipality of Opsterland chooses to realize flow-through locations for status holders instead of asylum reception. Status holders are people who already have a residence permit in the Netherlands, but cannot yet live anywhere and therefore cannot begin their integration. Many status holders are waiting in the AZCs for housing, keeping many places occupied. By temporarily housing status holders in a transit location, we want to relieve the burden on the AZCs. In this way, we are fulfilling our legal obligation under the Spatial Planning Act.

Based on what laws and regulations is this allowed? 

The rijksoverheid has started a pilot with flow-through locations and the rijksoverheid has introduced the Spreading Act. So the Spreading Act is an important law in this issue. In addition, all municipalities in the Netherlands are obliged to help people who have a residence permit find social housing. Municipalities have that obligation for all residents who qualify for social housing, and that includes status holders. Currently, the rijksoverheid is working on laws and regulations in the field of Asylum and Migration. As soon as something changes definitively, we will see what that means for us as a municipality.

Is anything being done with our questions and concerns? Are you really listening to residents or have you already made up your mind?

Yes, the questions that residents ask us and the concerns that people express we take into account in our investigations. No decisions have been made now, other than the decision to start investigating whether the Twirre is suitable.

If there is no support, is there any point in doing calculations? 

Support is difficult to measure. We get both negative and positive signals as a municipality. So we cannot determine whether or not there is support. In the research we include both negative and positive signals. In addition, support is part of the research. 

What is the difference between support and carrying capacity?

When we look at the carrying capacity of a village, we mean whether there are enough facilities and whether the social basis is in good order. So whether there are stores, associations, family doctors, a school and companies where status holders can work or associations where they can do volunteer work. We also look to see if there are people in the village who can help these people get started. Support refers to residents' opinions. Do residents think a particular plan is a good idea or not? Support is difficult to measure, however, because residents often have different opinions. 

The Twirre was unsalvageable. That was the message a few years ago. Why is the municipality investigating a building that cannot be saved? 

In 2022, the City Council decided that the Twirre was no longer suitable as a school building. The building was outdated, too large for the number of students and no longer sustainable. This does not mean that the old school building was no longer suitable for anything at all. It was no longer suitable for education, but perhaps for other purposes. Therefore, we are now investigating the possibility of a flow-through location.
 

What were the original plans for the building?

There were no original plans for the building, which is why we can now explore whether it could be suitable as a flow-through location.  

Where is the municipality in the process? 

So far we have looked at:

• From when and for how long will the property be available;
• What zoning is on the site;
• What the future plans of the site are.

We are now going to investigate the suitability of the property as a flow-through location. This means that we are going to look at the condition of the property, the surroundings, safety and remodeling options, among other things. In the drawing below you can see where we currently stand and what steps we still need to take.

Why does the municipality not investigate the condition of the building before informing residents? 

We choose to inform residents before we start the surveys. We have deliberately chosen this order. We will not start investigations if our residents know nothing about them. We want to include our residents in our plans as early as possible.

Is there a plan B?

If the study shows that a flow-through site is not possible, then we will reconsider a location for a flow-through site. But there is not a plan B right now. There are not many vacant properties available. So we don't have the ability to investigate several properties at the same time.

Is the council also looking at another property?

No.

Are we losing parking spaces?

No.

Will there be a follow-up meeting?

Yes, there will definitely be a follow-up. Not just a meeting, but we also keep residents informed by means of a newsletter that we send to people living in the immediate vicinity of De Twirre. We always send Plaatselijk Belang Ureterp a message as well. They can then also inform their members. 

We are also starting a participation process, where representatives of surrounding streets can think with us. Local residents have been informed about this through a letter. 

Why is there no signature on letters we get?

The letters we send out regarding the study of a flow-through site are all official. Not all letters need to be adopted and signed by the Board of Mayor & Aldermen. Some letters may be sent by team refugees. However, the letters are always approved by the mayor. 

Do we know where people come from?

We don't know where people come from. COA links people who have been granted residence permits to different municipalities. We have no influence on who is linked to us.  

Do we influence the composition of families? 

No, we have no influence on the composition. COA pairs people with the municipality. We expect a mix of families and singles. The singles often wait until their family members can come over from the country of origin.  

How many people will live there?

We don't know exactly at this point. We estimate that there is room for between 25 and a maximum of 50 people. The research we are doing now will reveal how many people the building is suitable for, and what the filling will look like.

How do you ensure integration?

We want to put extra effort into integration, which is why we are making an integration plan. Here we will look at how we are going to arrange guidance for the status holders. The goal is for the residents to become self-reliant and participate in society. We will also focus on offering language lessons. We also want to cooperate with companies in the area so that people can gain work experience in the neighborhood.

Why can't asylum seekers work like Ukrainians who came here?

Asylum seekers have recently been allowed to work if they have been in the Netherlands for at least 6 months. They then need a work permit and have to pay their own contribution to the reception. If a flow-through location goes ahead, it will not be asylum seekers but status holders. Status holders are always allowed to work, because they have a residence permit. 

How do you guarantee safety? The police now also say that they can't do anything in case of nuisance.

We are also investigating security around the Twirre. We are seeking advice on this from the Safety Region and the police are conducting an environmental scan. Based on this, we will form a picture of safety around the Twirre and we can see what is needed to ensure safety.

For how many years is a flow-through site?

We will investigate whether the flow-through location will be there and for how long. We are now assuming that the flow-through location will stay for at least 3 years. We cannot yet say for how many years a flow-through location is maximum. This is also because we do not know now what will be needed in 3 years.  

Where will people live after transit?

The status holders are linked by COA to different municipalities in the region. By the region we mean the municipality of Opsterland and neighboring municipalities, such as Smallingerland and Weststellingwerf. After their stay in the transit location, the status holders will be assigned social housing in the municipality to which they are linked.

How long do people stay?

We now assume one year. After that, people should be able to move into housing. Sometimes this is in the municipality of Opsterland, but people also move to our neighboring municipalities such as Smallingerland. Once someone has moved out, the empty space is filled again.

How can people move out within a year when there are no homes for us either?

If the flow-through location goes ahead, people will live there who will then move into the municipality of Opsterland or a neighboring municipality. In the municipality of Opsterland we already have occasional housing available for status holders, even without a flow-through location. In fact, a small portion of the vacant social housing units are reserved for status holders. Most of these homes are filled by other housing seekers. We believe that this number of available homes in our own municipality, plus the homes in other municipalities, is sufficient for status holders to move out of the flow-through location within a year. 

When someone leaves, does a new status holder come in?

Yes. 

What about housing for young people and other target groups?

We are building in the municipality for everyone. At www.opsterland.nl/woningbouw you will find current building plans. 

Status holders get priority for housing. Is that correct? 

Part of the social housing that becomes vacant goes to urgent target groups, which are people who have priority for social housing. Currently, this group includes status holders. Most of the vacant social housing goes to regular house seekers.

Why are we not allowed to live in vacation homes when there is a housing shortage?

Permanent occupancy of recreational houses is not allowed by default in the Netherlands. This is because recreational houses have a different destination than regular houses. Vacation homes have the destination of recreation instead of living. In addition, recreational houses must meet certain rules and requirements to be suitable for permanent residence. A small number of recreational houses in Opsterland meet these requirements. 

Will status holders get rent protection?

If a status holder lives in a housing association house, the same rules apply as for everyone else. So also the rent protection that applies to all residents. In a flow-through location, things are different. There, there is no regular rental contract as with a housing association, but a loan agreement. There is no rent protection for such an agreement. 

Are status holders getting suitable housing or are they often given houses that are too big? 

If a status holder moves on from an AZC or any transit location to a housing association rental home, the housing association always looks at what is a good match. In doing so, they do not distinguish between status holders and other target groups. Housing associations look at how long someone has been on a waiting list and at how big a family is (or how small) and whether that fits the housing that becomes available. 

Can the municipality guarantee that construction of houses in Ureterp will not be delayed by a flow-through site?

Building houses in Ureterp is already in our programming. So building houses in Ureterp is a different process than researching a flow-through location. Housing construction in Ureterp is not delayed by an investigation of a flow-through site or the possible arrival of a flow-through site. 

Can I file for planning damages if my home's value decreases? 

Plan damage has been called loss compensation since Jan. 1, 2024. This has changed because of the introduction of the Omgevingswet. More information on disadvantage compensation can be found at https://iplo.nl/thema/ruimtelijke-ontwikkelingen/bijzondere-onderwerpen/nadeelcompensatie

Can I object to these plans?

The City Council makes a final decision on plans to create a transit site. This cannot be objected to.

If we have to apply for a permit for the conversion, this can be objected to within a certain period of time. However, this concerns only the remodeling of the property and not the use of the site as a flow-through location. More general information about this can be found at www.opsterland.nl/bezwaar-maken. 

Another option other than objecting is to speak at a City Council meeting. More information can be found on the City Council's web page: www.opsterland.nl/gemeenteraad.

Under which destination does the flow-through site fall?

Currently there is a social zoning on the site because it has been a school. This means that social functions are allowed. Buildings with a social function include sports halls, theaters, shelters, health centers, etcetera. We are going to apply for a permit for this social zoning.