A few buildings on Brussels' iconic Grand-Place might soon undergo a revamp as their owner weighs the future of one of the Belgian capital's most prestigious addresses.
Dutch property developer Prowinko owns the complex building stretching from numbers 5, 6 and 7 on the Grand-Place towards Rue du Midi. The developer has now submitted a new plan for it and is also eyeing around 7,600 m² of existing office space and underground parking.
Credit: Prowinko
Prowinko wants to convert 1,171 m² of office space and roughly 1,000 m² of underground parking into commercial space: two retail units and a restaurant or hotel. The existing offices would also receive a facelift.
If you passed by the site before 2018, a CBC ATM was installed there where people could withdraw cash. Prowinko bought the complex from CBC Banque in September 2018, a few months after the bank moved its headquarters from Brussels to Namur.
How much it was sold for was never disclosed. At the time, Prowinko's Brussels director Philip van Perlstein described buying the former CBC headquarters as a "unique opportunity" and said the developer was considering several possible new uses for the site, although no decision had yet been made.
If the plan is ratified, works would also be needed inside and on top of these buildings. The internal layout is dated; the width and breadth of the edifices need to be reconsidered, along with a few changes within the block and at roof level.
The complex previously hosted CBC bank, which has now moved to Namur. Credit: Belga.
The project, which would be carried out on one of the most iconic places in Brussels, is particularly sensitive. The complex includes three historic buildings facing the Grand-Place (numbers 5, 6 and 7) and sits within one of Brussels' most important heritage areas.
These three buildings are former prestigious guild houses known as Den Wolf, Den Horen and Den Vos – figures that decorated the façades.
Parts of the properties are also protected, which places extra restrictions on what can be altered.
The plans are open to public inquiry, which runs until 15 October: residents, neighbours, businesses and other interested people can consult the plan and submit comments or objections.
After the inquiry closes, the comments received will be considered as part of the planning procedure.
Brussels City Urban Planning councillor Anaïs Maes (PS) told The Brussels Times that the consultation committee will examine those comments on 27 October, when the actors involved will also give their take.
Ambitious plans
The current application is only the latest chapter in Prowinko's plans for Grand-Place; the Dutch developer has previously explored turning the property into an 80-room luxury hotel.
In information published on its website, Prowinko stated it had been working with the Brussels Government and the City of Brussels to develop what it described as a "one-of-a-kind" luxury hotel at the location.
That option would require changes to the area's planning rules. Prowinko said it was working to amend the relevant local land-use plan that determines what can be developed on a particular site before seeking a construction permit for the hotel, a process it estimated could take another 12 to 24 months.
Given the length of that procedure and any revamp procedures in the capital, the developer also prepared an alternative plan to redevelop the property as modern office space. Prowinko said it had obtained a building permit for that option, giving it more flexibility over the site's future.
The company also noted that rising office rents had made retaining the property as offices increasingly attractive.
Contacted by The Brussels Times, Prowinko declined to clarify how the new application relates to its earlier hotel and office plans. The City of Brussels is similarly withholding its position while the public inquiry is underway.
The next key date is 27 October, when the project is due to go before the consultation committee.
Until then, residents and other interested parties can submit their observations on the plans as part of the public inquiry.
