Molenlanden expands refugee reception with new locations in 2027
Residents of Molenlanden will see new refugee reception centers opening in 2027 as the municipality complies with national dispersal laws. Local input is shaping the process, with six potential locations now under review to house asylum seekers.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Municipality | Molenlanden |
| Current refugee capacity | 254 people |
| Target year for new locations | 2027 |
| Locations under investigation | 6 (4 initial + 2 additional + 1 large rural location) |
| Resident meetings held | Bleskensgraaf, Arkel, Nieuw-Lekkerland (Jan-Feb 2026) |
| Involved government agency | Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) |
| Legal basis | Dispersal Law |
| Public participation link | molenlanden.nl/vluchtelingenopvang |
The Municipality of Molenlanden is responsible for implementing national policies on refugee reception, including the Dispersal Law, which mandates the distribution of asylum seekers across Dutch municipalities. It collaborates with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) to identify and develop suitable locations while ensuring community engagement.
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Additional locations sought for refugee reception
Municipality of Molenlanden aims to establish new reception locations in 2027 to comply with the dispersal law. The Municipality of Molenlanden is taking its responsibility and, in addition to meeting the dispersal law requirement (currently 254 people), sees the reception of these individuals as a moral obligation. In 2025, the first phase of the process towards new reception locations was completed.
What exactly will the municipality do?
The Municipality of Molenlanden must comply with the dispersal law and wishes to provide shelter for people in need. To this end, it is following a process to identify locations for refugee reception. This concerns individuals who apply for asylum in the Netherlands and not Ukrainian refugees. The municipality considers it important to involve residents as much as possible in addressing the asylum challenge. For this reason, initial meetings were held in June and July 2025, where residents and social organizations shared their questions, concerns, and ideas. This input was incorporated into the council proposal, which requested the council’s approval of the location criteria proposed by the executive board. On September 23, 2025, the council approved this proposal, after which the municipality began searching for suitable locations.
During the council meeting on February 24, 2026, a majority of the council supported the essence of the executive board’s original plan, with several additions and refinements. The assessment has been approved, and the four locations can now be further investigated in collaboration with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). Additionally, the council has called for the location research to be expanded to include two more locations for further investigation. A large location in the rural area is also under consideration and must be included in the location research. A new call for additional locations, alongside the four previously mentioned, has been opened. For more information and the form, visit: www.molenlanden.nl/vluchtelingenopvang. Locations can only be submitted by owners.
Resident meetings
In January and February, multiple meetings were held in the villages of Bleskensgraaf, Arkel, and Nieuw-Lekkerland. Residents were able to express their questions, concerns, and fears, and the minutes of these meetings will be published soon. These meetings represent an important step in the process toward establishing refugee reception locations. The municipal executive board takes the input from residents during these meetings very seriously and will explicitly incorporate it later in the process. More information about the next steps will follow shortly.