2023-10-25 15:01:00
The decision fell this summer: the Palais du Midi will be stripped down, as part of the metro 3 project. Due to stability problems under the building, contractors must indeed review their techniques. To continue the work currently blocked, it will then be necessary to dismantle the interior and leave only the walls.
As soon as the announcement was made, associations stepped up to oppose the dismantling, and more broadly to demand a halt to the metro 3 project. This fall, Arau took a new step and announced the launch of a European procedure to save the Palais du Midi. The association hopes to include the Palace in the list of “7 Most Endangered Monuments”, managed by Europa Nostra.
Metro 3: The Brussels government validates the accelerated procedure to dismantle the Palais du Midi
A recognition which would make it possible to give more weight to the request to the classification procedure introduced. “Our procedure is complete, has been filed, but the government has not yet looked into it. This inclusion on the European list would act as pressure and give even more credibility to our file,” explains Marion Alecian, director of Arau, for whom dismantling would be a monumental error.
“Hundreds of millions of euros”
This Wednesday, a meeting was organized at Maison Jamaer to retrace the history of the building built in 1875 and which today houses shops, sports infrastructures and part of the Francisco Ferrer school. Created for commercial purposes, the Palace hosted city services in the 1920s. Several renovations took place as functions changed. “There have been regular investments from public authorities over the years. Hundreds of millions of euros.”
“Destroying the Palais du Midi is destroying our lives”: the Stalingrad district stunned by the news of the dismantling of the building for metro 3
Arau denounces the bad faith of the municipal and regional authorities in the matter. “It is dishonest and misleading to make people believe that there is nothing interesting in this Palace,” sighs Marion Alecian.
In support of the heritage approach, Nour Eddine Layachi from the Stalem merchants association. “32 traders will have to leave the Palace. This is worrying because it is a popular commercial fabric.”
As a reminder, the Brussels Parliament recently validated an ordinance allowing time-consuming urban planning procedures to be accelerated with a view to dismantling. The Vervoort government hopes to submit a permit application in early 2024. The rest of the timetable and the moving arrangements are still unclear at this time. The metro will not run before 2030 between Forest and Brussels North.
1698287985
#European #procedure #save #Palais #Midi #dishonest #misleading #people #interesting #Palace
