Another Amsterdam council meeting took place on October 3 in the Committee for Economic Affairs. To most councillors it is obvious that there will not be a shipyard here, which is the only activity that is legally allowed on the ADM terrain (26 ha). In spite of the controversy and contradictory expertise the Aldermaster (wethouder) insisted he does not have a choice but to evict the ADM because he has to uphold the law.
Of course most people feel that respecting the law would mean waiting until the legal fight against the permission for an asbestos company to start on the ADM terrain is over. There is no date set for this appeal, and our left/green council accepts that eviction comes first, and that getting our right as citizens is of minor importance.
To ease the pain the council is offering the current ADMers a 2 ha piece of polluted wasteland beside the A10 motorway in the north of Amsterdam, for the duration of only two years. With this land come many restrictions: no more cultural events or festivals, very little space to work and no communal or public spaces. There is not enough room for even half the ADMers, and where are all the ships supposed to go? The ADM forest, habitat for wild animals and rare species will not be relocated…
ADMers have been looking around for additional alternatives, but nothing concrete has come out so far or is likely to be realised before the 25 of december, the date that everyone on the ADM terrain is expected to have moved out voluntarily. To date the only realistic option is to keep what is here. Why evict for some hardly realistic business plan, which is all that is needed to get rid of the ADM community.
Without restrictions on land use, or with a local authority that can not be bothered to ensure the restrictions are respected, the terrain will at least triple in value. The ONLY people that will benefit from an eviction are the owners of the terrain, who are jumping on this chance to multiply their fortune. A fortune that was made with public money, as the council paid millions to get the family to give up their properties in town, in order to clear the inner city of the whitewashing, thuggery and intimidation that secured the family business.
The ADMers have put in a massive effort to look for realistic alternatives and to continue to keep every option open, and to try and convince the council of the value of the ADM, fitting exactly into the brand new coalition priorities. But to no avail so far. It is now up to all of us, to all of Amsterdam and to the worldwide community that is connected to the ADM to put a stop to this madness and create a better future for the ADM and the rest of Amsterdam.
ADM
Hornweg 6, 1045AR, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
https://squ.at/r/5g4
https://adm.amsterdam/
