Railway operator SNCB has been criticised for selling a large office block near Brussels-Midi station without consulting the Brussels-Capital Region beforehand.
The decision to sell four separate buildings totalling 150,000m2 of space came as a surprise due to construction plans for housing and other amenities already underway.
Three construction companies – BESIX, BPC/BPI and Immobel – were tasked with transforming three of the plots into housing and collective facilities. Since the listing was published two weeks ago, the architect leading the project Kristiaan Borret has expressed annoyance at SNCB's u-turn.
"I am not amused," Borret told Bruzz. "You don't just put 150,000m2 of floor space on the market without consulting the region, especially if you're going back on previous agreements. In addition, the sales listing makes no mention of intended future uses such as housing." Borret has contacted SNCB to ensure that prospective buyers are aware of construction plans already in the works.
Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region Rudi Vervoort (PS) also expressed disappointment at the operator's failure to keep other actors in the loop.
"The redevelopment of the station district is more than necessary and we are happy that the buildings are being sold," his cabinet said in a statement. "But it is a shame that SNCB has not consulted more with regional urban development actors to agree on the objectives that future projects will have to meet."
SNCB hopes that the sale will finance its 'Fonsny Project', which aims to group all of its staff in one single building on Avenue Fonsny (the long street running along the Saint-Gilles side of the train station).
"SNCB is pursuing a sustainable and cost-effective solution by relocating more than 4,000 employees from existing buildings to a new energy-efficient building," the operator explains on its website.
