Ghent’s Shopping Zuid commercial centre on Woodrow Wilsonplein will close its doors for a complex renovation, VRT reported on Thursday.
The city has long considered repurposing the building, as it was concerned about high vacancy rates. Now, after 30 years, the centre is closing down for a major renovation, as the owners reached an agreement with the city council.
The plan is to turn the building into an office location, with hotels on the upper floors and shops and restaurants around the building’s exterior, catering to the new technology entrepreneurial hub in the area, Ghent alderman Sofie Bracke (Open VLD) explained to VRT.
Opening in 1995, the shopping centre initially drew criticism from both Ghent residents and the city council for its poor design. The mall experienced a brief period of success in the late 2000s, attracting up to 3.5 million visitors annually, but this trend did not last long. Soon, the stores began to move out of Shopping Zuid, with the rise in online shopping only accelerating its decline.
The few remaining shops are now closing permanently. "I had a successful sandwich shop in the shopping centre and was forced to close," local businessperson Florencia Coene told VRT. "We had lines all the way out the door; the formula certainly worked for us. I don't understand what went wrong for other owners."
Many residents in the area are upset about the complex closing. "I came here almost every day,” says Dominique De bont, who owns an insurance office nearby. ”It's the shortest route to the parking garage. What more could you ask for? A shopping complex in the heart of the city, with parking. I often ran into old friends here. It's a shame; I'm going to miss it."
A petition has been launched online, asking the City Council to use the renovation as an opportunity for the building to become a circular hub for citizen initiatives, subprojects, social organisations, and sustainable projects currently lacking within the urban landscape.
