The Environmental Board has formulated a negative decision for the construction of the Dockside tower on the corner of Koolmijnenkaai and Adolphe Lavalléestraat on Saincteletteplein. The project is rejected because of a lack of parking spaces and the risk of flooding. Construction company Kurbistep and real estate developer Kumpen Red now have thirty days to appeal against that decision.
The construction of the Dockside residential tower on Sainctelletteplein resembles an Echternach procession. In July 2017, the architectural firms V+, TRANS and MSA won the architectural competition organized for the development of the land.
They opt for an atypical residential project consisting of a massive fourteen-storey tower with large elevators. These should give residents the opportunity to get all the way to their home with their bicycle. A spacious courtyard or atrium, on the other hand, must ensure that sufficient sunlight shines into the apartments.
Resists
But soon there is opposition to the design. The municipality of Molenbeek considers the building too high in September 2021 (almost 50 meters) and says that the choice for a mainly one-room apartment does not correspond to the needs of the neighborhood. The fire service fears that there may be a risk of flooding.
The plans are being adjusted. The tower will shed from fourteen to thirteen floors and will be made a lot slimmer. In addition, more space is provided for a larger forecourt. But again, after a third public inquiry, the project is met with criticism from the municipality of Molenbeek.
The lack of sufficiently spacious housing units is again the biggest stumbling block. The comments were included in the Urban Planning Board. This body advises the Brussels government, which ultimately had to decide on a building permit. And it still isn’t there today.
Vicious environmental circle
And there is still a long way to go for the environmental permit. Because the Environmental Board has formulated a negative advice. It states that the plans still do not sufficiently take into account the risk of flooding. Construction company Kurbistep has therefore proposed scrapping a number of underground parking spaces, but that is not a solution for the municipality.
He already thinks the planned 69 places are too few. “At our request, the number of apartments with more than one bedroom has been increased to 40 percent instead of 30 percent. That’s good, but requires more parking options. Because statistics show that cohabiting couples or families with children have more cars than single-person households or single-parent families,” says the Molenbeek alderman of Urban Planning Amet Gjanaj (PS) in The last hour.
So a vicious circle. The Environmental Board also points to the lack of space for deliveries in the area. They would be ‘inadequate in area and poorly designed’. And according to the body, there is still no satisfactory solution for water management either.
Kurbistep now has thirty days to appeal against this decision. The Brussels government will then ultimately decide whether the environmental permit will be issued or not.
