Press release: Deventer municipality, support culture and preserve The Hip!

DWARS Overijssel, the independent youth organisation of GroenLinks, is standing up for De Hip, the café with a stage for culture and music. This is because the municipality is planning to sell the property, at Brink 21, to raise one million euros.

Councillor De Geest (Property, Labour Party) values letting go of property ‘that is not needed for its own or social use’. In doing so, the council denies the great value of The Hip. A vibrant café, which is a low-threshold place for live music, cultural events and meetings between Deventer residents. ‘We were founded here three years ago, and still feel welcome,’ said Jarno van Straaten, Deventer resident, vice-chairman and political secretary of DWARS Overijssel.

‘The Hip had to promise in 2012 not to re-let the property to a commercial party. They have kept that promise. Also, they do not receive any subsidy and the Hip provides the municipality with money. Then it is nonsense to leave such a beautiful building to pawnbrokers and landlords. They will apply the same uniformity to the property: expensive flats, a boring restaurant and no other added value.’

Earlier, the municipality was also negligent with the synagogue, which was first threatened to be sold to a hospitality entrepreneur, but later did not issue a hospitality licence because the synagogue is religious heritage. Nevertheless, the Jewish community left, with the result that the important building is no longer used. According to DWARS Overijssel, the municipality should be extremely careful when selling property. ‘Not everything can be expressed in money. Important properties should be accessible for culture and entertainment, and not end up in the hands of a few,’ says Van Straaten.