azc Assen (Schepersmaat)
The large reception centre on the Schepersmaat in Assen has seen repeated incidents, including a fire on 17 October 2024 that forced the evacuation of one wing and around 30 residents (no injuries; a later blaze was traced to an e-bike battery). Despite neighbourhood complaints about safety and living conditions, a council majority backed keeping the centre on the site for a further fifteen years, with capacity for up to 1,000 residents.
Occupancy
8
people (Aug 2025)
Per night
€80
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€234k
estimated
Background
The site sits at Schepersmaat, Assen. It is run by the COA (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers), the Dutch government’s asylum-reception agency. For what the azc / noodopvang categories mean and how Dutch reception spending breaks down, open the cost panel on the interactive map with the Netherlands selected in Settings.
In the news
Oct 2024
Assen asylum centre evacuated because of fire
Around 30 people were evacuated from one wing of the Schepersmaat reception centre after a fire broke out; no injuries were reported and the cause was initially unknown.
RTV Drenthe · source
2024
Assen asylum centre may stay 15 more years with 1,000 residents
A council majority backed extending the Schepersmaat reception centre for another fifteen years, keeping capacity at around 1,000 places despite local opposition.
RTV Drenthe · source
2025
E-bike battery causes fire at Assen asylum centre
A fire at the Schepersmaat centre was traced to the battery of an electric bicycle, the latest in a series of incidents at the site.
RTV Drenthe · source
Compiled from public Dutch news reports (each item links to its source). Where a municipality runs more than one reception location, attribution to this specific address reflects the cited report and may be approximate — always check the linked source.
Timeline
Oct 2024
Fire forces night-time evacuation
A blaze in one wing of the Schepersmaat centre forced around 30 residents out; no one was hurt and the fire was quickly put out.
2024
Council backs 15-year extension
A majority on Assen council supported allowing the centre to remain on the Schepersmaat for another fifteen years, with up to 1,000 places.
Cost
Dutch asylum reception is funded by central government through the COA. At an illustrative benchmark of about €80 per person per night for a regular centre, the 8 people recorded here on 13 August 2025 imply roughly €234k per year. This is an order-of-magnitude figure for context only, not a site-specific invoice — emergency reception typically runs around three times the cost of a regular centre.
Sources
COA / Rijksoverheid (Kamerstuk, 5 Sep 2025) · 2025-08-13. View source
Occupancy is the COA register snapshot of 13 August 2025 and may have changed since. Coordinates were geocoded from the published street address via the official PDOK Locatieserver.