Landgraaf to open a temporary asylum shelter on Pinkpop site

The municipality of Landgraaf is going to provide temporary shelter to a maximum of 300 asylum seekers at the Megaland event terrain, where the annual music festival Pinkpop is held. The Limburg municipality said that the request to use the terrain for temporary emergency shelter came from the Ministry of Asylum and Migration. “We are doing this in accordance with the legal requirement from the Asylum Distribution Act.”

Landgraaf has also sheltered asylum seekers in the past. The municipality said that the reception in 2023 went safely and the experiences were positive. “Partly because of this, the municipality is confident that this period of reception will happen in a safe and responsible way.”

It was reported that this is the reason that the minister requested the location specifically. The site will be equipped with residential units housing up to four people each, as well as sanitary facilities, dining areas and spaces for daytime activities.

The site will be fenced and monitored by cameras, with supervision, guidance and security provided around the clock. Residents will be allowed to leave during the day but are expected to remain on the site between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Festivals and other activities will proceed at the location in the summertime. Asylum seekers will be sheltered at the location from November up to May, and then again from September to May 2028. Preparations for the temporary accommodation are expected to begin on October 12, the municipality said.

The municipality said the emergency accommodation is needed because the Netherlands still has a shortage of reception places. It said the number of asylum seekers arriving at application centers exceeds available capacity, while a shortage of housing means recognized refugees are also staying longer in reception centers.

The accommodation will not have financial consequences for the municipality, according to Landgraaf. The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) will cover all costs, while the municipality will not receive any income from the arrangement.

Residents were not consulted before the decision was made. The municipality said the legal obligation under the Distribution Act and the urgent need for reception places meant there was no room for a public consultation.