Fifth column: Quitters never win

The government of Flanders decided this week on another issue with an environmental impact: Uplace. The leisure and shopping centre is to be built on what was once a car manufacture plant near Vilvoorde. That it should receive planning permission is only logical to minister-president Geert Bourgeois (N-VA). Previous governments have promised it several times; withdrawing their support would serve to undermine the relationship with business.

But since the original agreement with Uplace, many people have changed their minds about it. While it seemed a good idea to put the gigantic brownfield site to use and create 3,000 jobs, many now fear the impact on mobility, on air quality and on small businesses as far away as Mechelen and Leuven. Almost all parties are now split between (few) believers and (many) opponents.

So when Bourgeois had to convince his government for the final go-ahead, he used everything he had. Some internal sources describe his arguments as “emotional”, others found them “threatening”. But the ministers agreed.

But the government still had to face parliament, and it wasn’t just the opposition that drew out their swords. Majority MP Bart Somers (Open VLD), mayor of Mechelen, called Uplace outdated. CD&V speaker Koen Van den Heuvel hoped that the Council of State would find fault with the permission his own ministers had granted.

The internal criticism came on top of earlier remarks from the government’s ranks, urging it to stop “political games” about the climate agreement. In a blog post last weekend, federal MP Eric Van Rompuy accused N-VA of “being bossy”.

As a man of the law, Bourgeois sometimes lacks the political flexibility to compromise. Still, he is not one to give up. In a first reaction, he has called for unity and announced an ambitious plan for a Flemish summit... on climate change. 

Photo: The Uplace site as it is now
Courtesy Uplace