At Broeklin, the successor to the Uplace shopping centre, nerves are tense.The entrepreneur Bart Verhaeghe, known as chairman of Club Brugge, has wantedto realize a major real estate project in Machelen for years. After thefailure of the planned shopping center Uplace, city planner Alexander D’Hoogheproposed an alternative for the circular economy in 2020 with the ‘work-shopdistrict’ Broeklin. But the city of Vilvoorde and two other parties appealedlast year against the environmental permit that Broeklin received from theFlemish government. Very soon the Council for Licensing Disputes will decideon the future of the project.
Full screen display
Design image of the Broeklin project in Machelen. ©ORG
The nervousness about Broeklin can be felt all the way to Place Flagey inIxelles. Since 2005, the headquarters of the non-profit organization BrusselsPhilharmonic, which includes both the former orchestra and the radio choir ofthe VRT, have been located there since 2005. The orchestra rehearses andperforms in the Flagey building. But intendant Gunther Broucke feels inhibitedin his ambitions there. ‘The plans for the future of the Brussels Philharmonicand the Vlaams Radiokoor have grown enormously in the past 15 years,’ saysBroucke. ‘Activities at Flagey have also exploded. That puts a lot of pressureon the infrastructure.’
House for the Arts
The Brussels Philharmonic has therefore been performing in other halls, suchas Bozar, for some time now. But the non-profit organization is looking atanother location: Broeklin. In addition to tailor-made shops and productionspace, the complex in Machelen will include a flexible House for the Arts. Atthe performance, Broucke showed himself as a great advocate of Broeklin.Brussels Philharmonic would use the Center for the Arts ‘for productions andperformances that require an atypical set-up and that require flexiblerehearsal space’.
Broeklin dreams of bringing the Brussels Philharmonic to Machelen. Accordingto Broucke, Verhaeghe made a ‘sporting’ proposal to the Flemish governmentsome time ago. Broeklin wants to pay for the construction of the House for theArts in full itself in exchange for a very long rental guarantee from theFlemish government. Brussels Philharmonic is just one of the potential tenantsof the House for the Arts, Broeklin says. ‘We are absolutely not asking theBrussels Philharmonic to leave Flagey,’ emphasizes Uplace CEO Jan Van Lancker.’We endorse the vision that the orchestra remains in Flagey, but rents extraspace from Broeklin.’
The file is on the table of Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA). AsMinister of Culture, he must decide on the housing of the BrusselsPhilharmonic, one of the seven Flemish art institutions. Jambon is looking atthe options, he says through his spokesperson. ‘Obviously it isn’t. Broeklinis very expensive. Two positions at the same time seems unrealistic to me.’
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Broeklin is very expensive. Two positions at the same time seems unrealisticto me. “
In the Flemish Parliament, Jambon recently called the continuation of theBrussels Philharmonic in Flagey ‘the most feasible option (…) provided thatthe necessary infrastructural adjustments are made’. The building is in urgentneed of renovations. The non-profit organization Flagey, which operates thebuilding, is negotiating about this with NV Omroepgebouw Flagey, the owner ofthe building. Entrepreneurs Michel Moortgat (Brewery Duvel-Moortgat) andHubert Bonnet jointly bought 70 percent of that NV in 2017. But thenegotiations between the two parties about the division of the investmentsover the next 27 years, amounting to tens of millions of euros, are going veryslowly.
Politically sensitive
Jambon said in the Flemish Parliament that the Brussels Philharmonic would geta different home base ‘not impossible in theory’, although that would breakthe long relationship with Flagey and mortgage the anchorage in Brussels.Those involved point out that it is politically very sensitive to remove aFlemish institution, which bears Brussels in its name, from the capital.
The fact that all possible authorities are in the Flagey pool makes thediscussion even more complex. This year, the Flemish Community will grantFlagey an operating grant of 750,000 euros. The French Community and theBrussels Region pay a similar amount, the municipality of Ixelles a third.Flanders gives another 526,000 euros for the accommodation of the BrusselsPhilharmonic. The federal (FPIM), the Flemish (PMV) and the Brussels(Finance&invest.brussels) public investment companies each own 9 percent ofthe NV.
While the Brussels Philharmonic awaits a political decision, Flagey increasesthe pressure on the orchestra. The non-profit organization Flagey will soonhave to conclude a new management agreement with its subsidizing authorities.At the end of October, Gilles Ledure, the director of the non-profitorganization Flagey, demanded in a letter that the Brussels Philharmonicindicate its plans for the future. “If the orchestra wants to move, that isits right,” Ledure told De Tijd. ‘But I need to know. I can’t conclude amanagement agreement if the orchestra doesn’t speak a clear language.’
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We will not be Machelen Philharmonic. “
Gunther Brooke
Intendant Brussels Philharmonic
Officially, the Brussels Philharmonic does not want to leave Brussels. ‘We arevery happy in Flagey’, says Broucke. ‘We will not be Machelen Philharmonic. Wewill continue to give concerts in Flagey, but we could also rent the hall.’
Ledure does not fear the departure of its main tenant. ‘When the orchestra isgone, something else will come in Flagey. Artistically, I would find that ashame, because the Brussels Philharmonic is an added value for Flagey. Butthere are still orchestras.’
Brussels Philharmonic
Brussels Philharmonic is the continuation of the symphony orchestra that theBelgian public broadcaster (NIR) founded in 1935 and became independent in1998. The non-profit organization Brussels Philharmonic today includes asymphony orchestra, a chamber choir (Flemish Radio Choir) and a youthorchestra. Since 2005, the Brussels Philharmonic has been based in the Flageybuilding in Ixelles. It is one of seven Flemish art institutions, alongsidethe Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and the AncienneBelgique, among others. From 2023, the Brussels Philharmonic will receive anannual Flemish subsidy of 9.7 million euros.
Flagey
Flagey is a culture house on Place Flagey in Ixelles. The non-profitorganization, which operates the former Broadcasting Centre, receivessubsidies from the Flemish and French Communities, the Brussels Region and theMunicipality of Ixelles. The building, an Art Deco-style packet boat, is ownedby NV Omroepgebouw Flagey. Michel Moortgat, the CEO of the Duvel-Moortgatbrewery, bought 46 percent of that company in 2017. The art collector HubertBonnet then acquired 25 percent of the shares. The federal (FPIM), the Flemish(PMV) and the Brussels (Finance&invest.brussels) public investment companieseach own 9 percent. The remaining 2 percent is held by the bank BNP Paribas