DeBuren (which means “the neighbours”) was set up in 2004 in the heart of Brussels as a centre for the language and culture that Flanders and the Netherlands share. The operation is funded by the Flemish and the Dutch foreign and culture ministries, with Flanders responsible for accommodating the space.
In 2006, deBuren presented plans for a new centre, which would extend its existing premises at the corner of the Leopoldstraat and the Prinsenstraat, directly neighbouring the Muntschouwburg. The new design would have included exhibition space, meeting rooms, a reading room and a stateof- the-art auditorium.
The planning permit, applied for in 2007, has not yet been approved. Flemish minister of culture Joke Schauvliege recently told the Flemish parliament: “The problem is the city’s urban planning regulations, which require a certain number of residential units to be included in any office construction project. That requirement is difficult to meet within the concept.”
Schauvliege’s office considers it unlikely that a permit will ever be granted. “For that reason,” she said, “we think it better to look for other solutions than to keep waiting.”
DeBuren vacated its original premises in 2009 for offices close by in the Prinsenstraat. In just over a week, it will move to a new space on the nearby Emile Jacqmainlaan, explained one of its programmers, Willem Bongers. In the meantime, the culture ministry has released €1 million for renovation of the old building on the Leopoldstraat, a decision supported by deBuren.
“We weighed up the options,” Bongers said, “and it’s clear our working resources are not going to get bigger in the years to come. We didn’t want to splash out on a huge swimming pool and then find we didn't have enough money to pay a lifeguard.”
The offices on the Jacqmainlaan have been rented for one year. Schauvliege expects works on the Leopoldstraat to be complete by the end of 2012, and deBuren is looking forward to returning to its original home by 2013.
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