The redundant Bijlmerbajes prison in the south east of Amsterdam is being converted into an asylum seekers centre, the city council confirmed on Thursday.

The prison will house some 1,000 asylum seekers for a period of up to 18 months from this summer, the council said. The fence and part of the wall around the complex is being removed to fit the new function.

The site of the prison has been earmarked for housing but work on that development will not start until the end of 2017, hence the temporary use as a refugee centre.

Two other refugee centres are also being established in Amsterdam. One, in a building near the Ookmeer sports complex in Nieuw-West, will be converted to take 800 refugees for a period of up to 10 years. It will open in the second quarter of 2017.

The site of the third centre has not yet been finalised.