The saga surrounding the residential tower by architect Peter Zumthor has been going on for some time. In the autumn of 2022, Tower Zero received the green light from the aesthetic committee and the environmental permit was displayed in the neighborhood. About twenty local residents, mostly living in the nearby Zuiderzicht residential tower, were not happy about this. They disputed whether everything went according to plans and hired a lawyer.
The opponents demanded that the Council for Permit Disputes should annul the permit. With success, because the council is now acceding to their request. This means that Tower Zero will not be built (for the time being).
READ ALSO. Local residents dispute the course of events around Tower Zero: “Several major deviations from the master plan”
The council ruled that the environmental effects of the residential tower “were not properly investigated”. The research allegedly used outdated data. In addition, the council states that the permit application is contrary to provisions of the spatial implementation plan (RUP) Nieuw Zuid.
According to the council, the deputation wrongly qualifies the application as one structure with a larger footprint, instead of a tower with three pavilions. “As a result, different rules of the implementation plan apply, namely those for towers and pavilions. The council notes that the application does not meet these requirements,” it said.
Since the necessary adjustments and/or questions to allow deviations from the regulations can only be made in a new permit application, the Council for Permit Disputes sees no other option than to annul the issued permit. The entire procedure will therefore have to be repeated.
Battle won
“We are of course extremely satisfied with that,” said one of the local residents who opposed the arrival of the residential tower. “We are thoroughly enjoying the victory in this battle, but we have not won the war yet. We know all too well that client Triple Living and the city will not simply accept this.”
“No one doubts that the tower will be built,” said Alderman of Urban Development Annick De Ridder (N-VA) in October 2022. The local resident of Nieuw Zuid, who wishes to remain anonymous, endorses this. “Of course we fear that the tower building will still be built. We are undoubtedly looking in the wings for ways to get Tower Zero through.”
READ ALSO. Many protests against the arrival of Tower Zero on Nieuw Zuid
“We believe that it should only be installed in accordance with the correct regulations. For example, the spatial implementation plan states, among other things, that we have the right to and must be able to enjoy a panoramic view in our tower. That will be difficult with a tower like that in front of it. And so we continue to resist, even though the costs are rising high in the meantime.”
Competent alderman Annick De Ridder regrets that the permit was destroyed. “It is a shame that this top project, designed by a world-renowned architect, is being delayed. Our services are now analyzing the judgment.”
Builder Triple Living is also disappointed. “Unfortunate news, especially considering all the efforts we have made to accommodate their objections to all parties involved. It is a missed opportunity for Nieuw Zuid and the city of Antwerp not to implement such a project. We are studying the judgment internally and are considering the next steps.”
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2024-04-26 13:58:00
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