Environmental permit granted for Uplace

Uplace, a massive new shopping and leisure centre planned for Machelen, just outside Brussels, suddenly received the necessary environmental permit to go ahead with the project, first granted by Flemish environment minister Joke Schauvliege and later overturned by the Council of State.

The Flemish environmental license commission has now granted the permit for the controversial shopping centre rather suddenly, leading opposition party Groen to suspect the commission of giving in to outside pressure, reports De Standaard and confirmed by Joke Schauvliege (CD&V).