Groningen ‘Pinkโข Farm‘ Restoration โBegins, Will Remain a Protest Symbol During Work
GRONINGEN – โRestoration efforts have begun on the famed โ”pink farm” in Groningen, a property deliberately painted in the striking color to protest the ongoing fallout from yearsโ of gas extraction-induced earthquakes. Funding for the refurbishment comes from national monument funds, โsupplemented by a โฌ50 million โallocation from an intervention team established to address harrowing situations in the earthquake-affected region.
Owners Jan ten Have and Siep Nijhoff have emptied the structurally compromised building, currently bracing for ceiling collapse.โฃ “It’s โคhard to see, but on the otherโค hand, as something is going to happen. That is โvery beautiful,” Ten Have stated.
Despite the positive step, the refurbishment highlights theโฃ continued struggle โfor thousands โฃof Groningen residents stillโ awaitingโ compensation โฃfor damage caused byโข the gas extraction. Approximately 18,000 damage reports remain open, with 4,000 residents waitingโ over two years for a resolution on their claims, โคaccording to data from the damage counter (schadedoormijnbouw.nl).
Coert Fossen,Chairman of the Groninger Soil Movement,welcomed the farm’s restoration but emphasized the broader issue. “After the parliamentary survey,the government promised to make handling milder,more human and easier. That โขwas partly accomplished. People with small damage can get a sum of money and thereby repair โขtheir damage. But people with large claimsโค do not notice a difference, even after two years.”
Outgoing State Secretary for Restore Groningen,โค Bart van marum (BBB), attributed the delays โขtoโ various factors, includingโข residents awaiting โคmore favorable arrangements andโ the complexity of larger claims. โฃHe โคanticipates increased progress on larger โคclaims startingโฃ in November.
The farm will remain pink throughout the one-and-a-half to two-year restoration process. Nijhoffโข explained the decision: “You don’t know how it goes. There โmay be some setbacks. Until then the pink color stays on the facade. โAfter that he will turn off white again, as he was always. And perhaps there is still โคa pink stone left, because โฃwe want to symbolize the problem in Groningen.”
