“During Eureka Week, student societies have a special event permit allowing them to keep their outdoor seating areas open until 11pm,” Ahmed Aboutaleb wrote in his response to the request. “We can only deviate from the rules on special occasions, such as New Year’s Eve celebrations.”
Moreover, the Mayor said that only one student society, RSG, actually wished to stay open after 11pm. “It’s true that RSG would like to get this permit, because that would give them more time to receive Eureka Week attendees at their outdoor seating area,” said Merel van Lunen, the President of the Rotterdam Chamber of Societies (RKvV). “The other societies did believe there might be some benefits to more flexible opening hours for their outdoor seating areas, but the locals’ interests are paramount to us, too.”
Councillors unhappy with decision
“Disappointing,” said councillor Struijvenberg in response to the Mayor’s decision. “Students are a vital part of our city,” he added. “We feel the outdoor seating areas should be allowed to stay open a little longer during Eureka Week, since they form an important part of the induction week.”
For its part, RKvV understands why the municipal government made the decision to reject the request. “Actually, we’re grateful the local authorities were willing to consider the request at all,” said Van Lunen. Struijvenberg, on the other hand, is unhappy with the decision. “We will soon discuss with PvdA how to deal with this situation now.”
