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Uplace is a planned shopping mall near Vilvoorde, Belgium, just above Brussels' orbital road. It will have 190,000 square metres (2,000,000 sq ft) of space for shops, restaurants, a cinema, a bowling hall, a theme park and 91 meter tall skyscraper with office buildings. Projected costs are around € 600 million and it will provide 3,100 jobs for the region.[1] Uplace is part of a Flemish project to build three malls around Brussels: Neo, Just under the sky (JUST) and Uplace. After controversy about the building permit, the project was put on a hold by the Flemish Government.
Controversy
editIn May 2012 Flemish minister Joke Schauvliege gave Uplace its building permit, though her officials gave a negative environmental advice.[2] Environmental campaigners and entrepreneurs like Unizo went to the Belgian Council of State[3], who overruled the Flemish government and rejected the plan's building permit in December 2012. According to the Council of State, the environmental impacts would be too high.[4] The project caused controversy in the Flemish Government: the Uplace project was mainly supported by the CD&V and N-VA and less by the sp-a. In May 2012, Ingrid Lieten said that it was 'incomprehensible' that Schauvliege gave the building permit. A low point was reached when coalition partner N-VA accused Minister Ingrid Lieten that she was not consequent in her decisions, as she lobbied for a huge mall in the small town of Beringen.[5] In December, the sp-a said in an interview that they were 'content' that the Council of State rejected the permit. When it became known that N-VA and CD&V wanted to continue the project, the sp-a threatened, behind the scenes, to leave the coalition. Since then, the Uplace project was put on a hold.[6]
References
edit- ^ Vlaamse regering zet licht op groen voor Uplace, deredactie.be, 29/10/11
- ^ http://www.greenpeace.org/belgium/nl/nieuws-blogs/Blogs/blog-transport/uplace-in-belgistan/blog/39693/ Greenpeace: Uplace in Belgistan, 27 March 2012
- ^ http://www.bralvzw.be/persbericht/persbericht-schauvliege-plooit-voor-privébelangen-uplace Bralvzw; Schauvliege plooit voor privébelangen Uplace, 31 May 2012
- ^ http://www.uplace.eu/Default.aspx?PageID=198&Culture=nl#26 Uplace: Frequently asked questions
- ^ http://www.gva.be/nieuws/binnenland/aid1182192/n-va-lieten-lobbyt-voor-be-mine-maar-breekt-uplace-af-2.aspx Gazet van Antwerpen: N-VA: "Lieten lobbyt voor be-Mine, maar breekt Uplace af, 31 May 2012
- ^ Raad van State schorst milieuvergunning voor Uplace, deredactie.be, 18/12/2012