Talking Dutch: Rust to rust
The never-ending renovations of Brussels’ Justice Palace have hit a considerable snag
Derek Blyth on slow progress
Now the situation is getting dangerous. De renovatie aan het justitiepaleis sleept al zodanig lang aan – the renovation of the law courts has gone on for so long, according to a recent article in Brussel Deze Week, dat de steigers die gebruikt worden voor de werken nu zelf aan renovatie toe zijn – that the scaffolding that is being used for the work is now going to have to be replaced. Dit is een hoofdstad onwaardig – this is a shameful situation for a capital city, says Annemie Maes of the Flemish Groen party.
The Brussels parliament recently debated the state of the building’s renovation. Door de decennialange verwaarlozing zijn de stellingen – die het beeld van het justitiepaleis al jaren ontsieren – beginnen te roesten . After decades of neglect, the scaffolding – which has disfigured the appearance of the building for many years – is beginning to rust, it was said.
Taxpayers might want to skip the next sentence. De stellingen moeten nu zelf worden gerestaureerd – the scaffolding now has to be restored. In other words, they can’t get started on the restoration of the building until they have taken down the old rusting scaffolding and replaced it with shiny new scaffolding. No one has said how much that will cost.
Not only that. Om de veiligheid te garanderen en te vermijden dat vallende brokstukken slachtoffers maken, moeten er zelfs veiligheidsnetten worden geïnstalleerd – to ensure safety and prevent people being injured by falling rubble, safety nets will have to be put up, according to Maes
And to make matters even worse, it appears that the scaffolding should never have gone up in the first place. De stellingen zijn illegaal geplaatst – the scaffolding was put up illegally, says Brussels minister-president Rudi Vervoort. This may seem a little odd for a building that is teeming with lawyers and law enforcers.
The Belgian buildings agency, which is responsible for the building, took steps to get a legal permit in 2010, but it was refused. And now the region wants the law enforced.
Maes believes that the capital deserves something better. De stilstand in dit dossier getuigt van een gebrek aan respect voor onze hoofdstad – the lack of progress in this case reflects a lack of respect for our capital.
I suppose they will get around to replacing the scaffolding one day. I hope it’s not too late by then to save the reputation of Brussels.
Photo: Donderwolk/Wikimedia Commons
