Move refugees into empty office buildings, says Amstelveen D66

The Amstelveen D66 wants the mayor and aldermen to investigate the possibility of housing refugees in the numerous empty office buildings in the area. The party also wants to remove obstacles standing in the way of private initiatives to do so. Faction leader Frank Berkhout said this in written questions sent to the mayor and aldermen following Justice State Secretary Klaas Dijkhoff's call to also look at unconventional shelter options for asylum seekers. Amstelveen alderman Jeroen Brandes (PvdA) has already announced that he will organize a symposium to discuss this topic, but according to the D66 this is not going far enough. The party wants concrete plans for housing asylum seekers, and is calling on the mayor and alderman to consult with the owners of vacant office buildings to see what can be arranged. The D66 also wants to look into a possible exemption to the Aviation Decree for sites like Kronenburg. This Decree limits the number of residential homes on the flight route to Schiphol airport. "We think it is important that people who are looking for safety can also do so in Amstelveen", Berkhout said. "When we make plans now and make proper preparations, we will be able to act quickly if needed."