Wil de Ben, together with Jan Verschuren and others, is the face of the Union of and for Wielewaalers and of the resistance against the sale of the Rotterdam residential area De Wielewaal to a project developer. The Union of and for Wielewaalers is a cooperative that has its own plans ready for renovation and new construction of their neighbourhood. Why does the municipality of Rotterdam not want to know anything about it? De Wielewaal seems to be the prime example of what the Housing Act of 2015 (negatively known because of the cursed landlord levy) best represents: residents are allowed to unite in a cooperative, in order to have more influence on their own living environment. (Photo: Joke Schot)
When FGA broadcasts this conversation on June 18, 2021, the newspapers are full of the UN letter that was made public that day, in which UN rapporteurs reprimand Rotterdam for its housing policy, its Housing Vision, the Rotterdam Act, and the National Program Rotterdam South. The rapporteurs warn that the policy is in conflict with human rights, namely the right to adequate housing, and the right not to be discriminated against. Tweebos and Wielewaal are mentioned by name.
Shortly before that, FGA spoke to Wil de Ben at De Wielewaal, one of the faces of De Wielewaal and of the resistance against the sale and demolition of the district. The Union of and for Wielewaalers is a cooperative that has its own scenario ready for the district. Based on his experience as a manager in the retail trade, Wil de Ben has calculated a network of experts who contribute help and knowledge to a well-founded plan, down to the last detail. It is possible: returning to the district, after new construction, for social rent, on the same floor plan, with the gardens still intact, after living elsewhere for only 4 weeks.
The Wielewaalers have not been heard for 10 years and have even been terribly obstructed. Some of the houses have even been demolished, but they are not giving up. Rotterdam could make a nice impression with this ordinary, nice neighborhood without high incomes but with a strong social network with a long history, that wants and can continue to exist, after the necessary renovations, with its own plan, and helped by experts who have joined out of solidarity and interest.
In the meantime, an important ruling by the high court, where their case is in cassation, is eagerly awaited: was there an obligation to offer to the tenants? Did the city and corporation wrongly sell to a project developer? If the judge says "yes", everything will be open again for the Wielewaalers, and their plan will have a chance again. Is a housing corporation allowed to offer the land on which houses are built and people live "clean and dry" to the market, according to the same new housing law from 2015? If the judge says yes, that will be very bad news for all tenants throughout the Netherlands. The ruling was suspended from 17 July to 1 October.
