So then on the backs of our dead sisters?

Breda's Board of B&W is reacting rabidly to HERMON BV's new plans. But wait, is this ethically correct?

"The buildings and the chapel on Nieuwstraat will undergo an unimaginable metamorphosis next year" that was the prediction of the owners of WSG (housing foundation Geertruidenberg) in 2007. This prediction has come true. Indeed, the premises (the former monastery in the center of breda) have since fallen into disrepair and decay. Its exterior walls -decorated with posters and graffiti- have become a disgrace to the streetscape of Breda. With this, the second prediction of these directors of WSG, namely "This piece of Breda will be all right" is not entirely fulfilled.

Now don't stop reading right away because we really need to go back in history to understand what preceded it.

History

On September 24, 1992, the municipality of Breda became proud owner of Nieuwstaat 21-29 in Breda. They bought the former convent of the Congregation Franciscan Sisters of Mariadal.

After negotiations initially stalled -because of an excessively high asking price- the monastery's asking price decreased significantly in 1992 because the municipality had a appointment with the sisters. They agreed that the former convent was to be used for "student housing" and non-commercial purposes. If these agreements were not kept, the municipality was obliged to pay a fine of 1 million guilders to the "sisters." A fine of 1 million guilders also had to be paid if the chapel was not used for liturgical and pastoral purposes.

With this, our city council and Mayor Nijpels made a promise to the sisters.

Student housing

After the purchase, the former monastery was converted into student housing (over 100) the cost of this, which was originally 1,216,763. golden would be fell over 40% higher from

We are selling the lot

In 2006, the municipality found out that it did cost quite a bit of money to renovate and maintain the place, so the municipality decided to divest the monastery to a third party. This became WSG. In the following years, the building stood empty and the WSG received millions in subsidies to restore and convert it into care facilities. 

But apparently WSG was not doing very well financially and lost it ended up losing over 60 million in equity in 2010 due to risky investments. This prevented the restoration of New Street, among other places, from going ahead.

The WSG decided to resell the property to raise money and avoid going bankrupt. A few weeks ago, the new destination was announced: a five-star hotel with more than 80 rooms and a bar and retail area in the original chapel. Our Municipal Executive responded enthusiastically to the initiative proposal submitted about a month earlier by HERMON BV, which is still fairly unknown to me. But what will the "sisters who had set such clear conditions?

Now I am of the opinion that it is good that something is finally happening with the Nieuwstraat but must this also mean that agreements made in the past turn out to be worth nothing? Can they really not be honored or, by mutual agreement, filled in in another way? Has the college given it any thought at all?

In recent weeks I have been in contact with all kinds of institutions, from the diocese in Breda to the KNR (Official umbrella organization of Religious Institutes)

Municipality does not want to provide information

As a result of those conversations, I tried last week to surface the original contracts between the sisters and the municipality, and the municipality and WSG. Unfortunately, I ran into a wall of opposition.

The municipality won't give me the contracts, so last week and WOB (Public Administration Act) request, this is a request where the municipality becomes obligated to still disclose the documents.

We are entitled to those documents because then we can have answers to questions such as; for what amount was it bought and sold at the time, under what exact conditions even more? In addition, I wonder why the municipality never chose -when the properties were deteriorating- to expropriate them from WSG? How could it have come to this point that an ancient monumental street was so run down and discarded in a few years?

Not daring to take responsibility.

Fortunately, our City Council has yet to vote on the plan for a five-star hotel. I assume that our people's representatives also do not want it on their head that - without even mentioning it - a commercial deal is made here on the backs (of the, as far as I have been able to find out, deceased) of the sisters. This against all agreements in order not to have to and not to dare to take responsibility for the havoc left behind in the heart of Breda.