'Serious objections' to handling of Uplace shopping complex

The Council of State has raised “serious objections” to the government of Flanders’ handling of Uplace, the planned shopping and leisure complex to be built in Machelen, just outside of Brussels. According to Bart Somers, mayor of nearby Mechelen, one of the leading opponents of the complex, the chance is strong that the latest development could signal the end of the development.

The Council of State, which scrutinises the actions of governments at all levels, took issue with two points. In granting its final authorisation for Uplace, the government of Flanders raised two questions about mobility: a shuttle bus serving the complex, and a station on the new regional express network.

If no guarantees were made by the end of 2017 regarding those issues, the government said, the new plans for the complex would revert to the previous plan, which, among other differences, involved permits for fewer retail spaces and parking.

The Council said that decision was contrary to established practice set out in the Town Planning Code. In addition, assigning responsibility for the realisation of the plan to a third party, such as public transport authority De Lijn, was also not permissible.

The comments were seized on by opponents of the project, whose objections range from its effect on traffic congestion and pollution to the effect on retail in town centres from Vilvoorde to Leuven. “This advice makes it clear that Uplace is further away now than it was a couple of weeks ago,” Somers said. “The Council of State has fundamental doubts about the legality” of the project, he said.

“Uplace is satisfied with the full advice,” the company said in a statement. The council’s remarks would strengthen the position of the Flemish government, it added, and its objections were all “perfectly easy to resolve”.

The Flemish government will deliver its response to the council’s criticism by Friday at the latest, minister-president Geert Bourgeois told the Flemish parliament.

Photo courtesy Uplace