Blankenberge
During the demolition of a building in Blankenberge, a contractor accidentally went straight through the facade of an adjacent apartment building on the Zeedijk in Blankenberge. No fewer than four floors suffered damage.
Four floors of an apartment building on the corner of Zeedijk and Verstraetehelling in Blankenberge suffered damage to the rear facade during the demolition of an old adjacent building. According to the Nieuwsblad, this happened because both buildings were only separated by one wall instead of the usual two: the contractor accidentally went through that one wall during the works. Several holes and cracks were made in the rear facade up to and including the fourth floor: some rooms were even slightly exposed along the street side.
The yard was immediately shut down and the police arrived on the scene. The Blankenberge Urban Planning Department was also notified. It was briefly feared that the entire rear facade would collapse, but that did not happen.
Mayor Björn Prasse (Open VLD) has now declared the entire building uninhabitable. “The safety of the residents is now our first priority,” said Jan Maertens, commissioner of the local police Blankenberge/Zuienkerke. “The contractor will quickly shore up the rear facade, and repair work will also be carried out to make the building completely rain and windproof.”
This mainly concerns holiday apartments. “There was barely one permanent resident,” says Maertens. “It remains to be seen how quickly he can return home.”
