Binnenhof renovations officially declared confidential for security

Minister Stef Blok of Housing officially declared the renovations to the Binnenhof in The Hague confidential. The Binnenhof is where most of the political buildings in the Netherlands are located. In the interest of security, the Minister therefore decided that information about security, installations and equipment should not be widely known, NOS said. 

There will also not be a public tender for construction commpanies, architects and other specialists. A public tender would meant hat toom uch information will have to be released, and that would make the political buildings vulnerable, according to the Minister. 

The State Real Estate Company will decide who is best suited for the renovation jobs. The Company will soon hold a meeting for companies to determine how the renovation can best be addressed, how much information can safely be released and how much freedom the company should have that eventually gets the job. 

Minister Blok also stressed that despite the confidentiality, the public will be kept informed as much as possible. THere will be an information center and the progress of the renovation can be viewed via a walkway. 

At this stage the intention is that the Binnenhof will close in 2020 and remain closed for five and a half years while the renovations will be done. These renovations are expected to cost around 475 million euros.