Noodopvang Groningen (Eemsgolaan)
The office building at Eemsgolaan 7 in Groningen has housed asylum seekers since December 2024, initially as an emergency reception for up to about 300 people. After independent reviews (by bureau Enneus and security analysis by Bureau Beke) concluded the site ran calmly with hardly any incidents, the city decided on 18 November 2025 to convert it into a regular asylum seekers' centre from 4 December 2025, a status that can continue for up to nine years. The decision drew political criticism, with the PVV demanding an explanation over the timeline. A minor fire from a clothes dryer led to a brief evacuation on 29 October 2025, after which residents were allowed back in.
Occupancy
303
people (Aug 2025)
Per night
€184
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€20m
estimated
Background
The site sits at Eemsgolaan, Groningen. 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
Nov 2025
Eemsgolaan reception location to become regular asylum centre
Groningen's city executive decided on 18 November 2025 to convert the Eemsgolaan emergency reception into a regular asylum seekers' centre from 4 December 2025, for a period of up to nine years, after independent reviews found the site ran stably with hardly any incidents.
Gemeente Groningen · source
Nov 2025
PVV demands explanation over Eemsgolaan conversion
OOG Groningen reported that the PVV wanted clarification on the decision to convert the Eemsgolaan reception into a regular azc, with the responsible alderman disputing PVV claims about the length of the accommodation.
OOG Groningen · 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
Dec 2024
Emergency reception opens at Eemsgolaan
The former office building at Eemsgolaan 7 begins housing asylum seekers as an emergency reception location.
Oct 2025
Brief evacuation after dryer fire
A fire involving a clothes dryer on 29 October 2025 prompted a short evacuation; the fire service cleared the building and residents returned.
Dec 2025
Converted to a regular asylum centre
The city decided on 18 November 2025 to turn the emergency reception into a regular azc from 4 December 2025 for up to nine years, citing reviews that found hardly any incidents; the PVV criticised the move.
Cost
Dutch asylum reception is funded by central government through the COA. At an illustrative benchmark of about €184 per person per night for emergency reception (noodopvang), the 303 people recorded here on 13 August 2025 imply roughly €20m 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.