Jabbeke Acquires Asylum Site to Develop Craft and Youth Center

Jabbeke (Eurotoday) – The municipality of Jabbeke has purchased the former Civil Protection site, which has served as a temporary asylum center for 300 people since 2022. Mayor Frank Casteleyn now has plans to transform the location into a hub for crafts, small businesses, and a community or youth center.

Located in the West Flanders province of Belgium, the city bought the old Civil Protection buildings with the intention of developing them for local use once the asylum seekers vacate the site. According to Mayor Casteleyn, one of the buildings will be repurposed to store equipment for city workers.

Other structures on the site are set to be demolished to make space for small business development. Additionally, the city wants to dedicate part of the land to building a community space or a youth center, offering a place for young people to gather and engage in activities.

Is Jabbeke’s former asylum center on its way to becoming a hub for entrepreneurs and community life?

The city had long envisioned repurposing the buildings into a public space like a community center or park. Mayor Casteleyn believed that such developments would be beneficial for Jabbeke’s residents and would enhance the city’s infrastructure.

However, in 2022, the federal government designated the site as a temporary asylum center due to a surge in asylum applications in Belgium, citing a lack of housing for incoming asylum seekers.

This decision sparked frustration among local government officials and many Jabbeke residents, who felt blindsided by the federal move. They expressed concerns that the government had not consulted them before assigning the site for asylum purposes, believing their opinions were overlooked in the decision-making process.

Mayor Casteleyn was particularly vocal in his opposition, doubting the government’s promise that the asylum site would be temporary. Drawing a humorous comparison, he said, “My mother-in-law came for two weeks and stayed for ten years,” reflecting the skepticism shared by many locals who feared the site would become a permanent fixture.

Though the center was intended to be short-term, asylum seekers remained longer than planned. The government repeatedly extended their stay, escalating concerns among residents that the site might never revert to local use.

Now, Mayor Casteleyn has expressed relief after the government agency responsible for asylum centers, Fedasil, confirmed it will close the Jabbeke center. Fedasil is expected to relocate the remaining asylum seekers to another location by November 2025, allowing the city to move forward with its redevelopment plans.