2023-07-31 05:24:00
The site of the vast project of housing, offices and shops on Place de Brouckère should soon be able to resume. The demolitions had been stopped in April of last year following a judgment of the Council of State seized by residents and associations for the defense of heritage. The developers have meanwhile reviewed their copy and they have just obtained their planning permission.
The initial project planned to enhance the building with a contemporary glass structure to accommodate a hotel. Eventually there won’t be. “We decided to remove this riser and keep this building with its structure. So we don’t demolish the structure behind the facades and we keep the office assignment“explains Griet Trekels, Development Director at BPI Real Estate, one of the two developers.
Resumption of construction at the end of August
With these modifications which respond to the grievances of the Council of State in terms of heritage and permits in hand, the site should be able to resume within a few weeks. “Towards the end of August, we will restart the demolition work which will take another 5 or 6 months. And then, once the permit is enforceable and final, we will start construction. It is planned, at this stage, for January 2024. And the site should last 3 years. It is a little longer than for a normal building site. But here we are not in a field, we are right in the city center. We must keep a minimum of mobility for residents and users of the city. We have nuisance limits to respect. So all this means that we have to organize ourselves in a rather particular way “.
New remedies?
That is the promoters’ agenda that holds if there are no new appeals or if these should not be successful. However, the associations (Arau, Inter-Environnement Brussels), which were already at work for the first, do not seem ready to let go. “The project is still as bad as it was at the start, except that here they have responded to the criticisms of the council of state. So the damage to the heritage is less heavy than at the start but the other grievances still hold water. And there are other aspects of the license which for us remain illegal and open to challenge“says Mohamed Benzaouia, project manager at Inter-Environnement Brussels.
Especially with regard to the impact of this huge demolition / reconstruction site on the climate. “More specifically greenhouse gas emissions which have not been seriously studied in clear violation of European law“.
Associations and other residents now have 60 days to lodge a possible appeal once morest this new project, which has 176 housing units, 129 student accommodation, 10,000 square meters of office space and 3,000 square meters of shops.
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