Overview
- Haagse alderman Robert Barker resigned Wednesday, saying the college’s choice of the Vlietzone for relocating waste firms defies council guidance and conflicts with his party’s values after coalition partners withdrew confidence in the PvdD.
- Provincial States debated the move Wednesday and rejected a new motion to restate that no waste cluster belongs in the Vlietzone, while the executive said earlier adopted motions still guide talks and that The Hague must file a formal plan first.
- Several council groups plan to force a reversal of the Vlietzone decision, noting the council had recently voted to avoid irreversible steps and not name the area as preferred, and a resident petition opposing the move has drawn thousands of signatures.
- The same day, a judge ruled the public interest in providing humane shelter outweighs residents’ objections to using Loosdrecht’s vacant town hall for 110 people, allowing six months of temporary reception with first arrivals now pushed to May for policing reasons.
- Police in Loosdrecht deployed the mobile unit three nights in a row and made arrests after fireworks, stones and eggs were thrown, highlighting how protests and limited police capacity can slow urgent shelter plans as the COA warns it faces a national shortfall of about 7,900 beds.