The new Brussels police station will not be ready until late 2028

The new police centre of the Brussels Capital - Ixelles police district, which is to be located in the former Dexia building on De Lignestraat, will not be finished until the end of 2028 at the earliest. Mayor Philippe Close (PS party) announced this during the city council meeting following a question from Brussels MP Mathias Vanden Borre. “Far too late. The original plans were announced in 2015. At the time, the intention was that our police services would move before 2024,” says Vanden Borre.

“We were already informed at the beginning of 2021 that the project was delayed - the reason given then was asbestos removal. There was talk at the time that the building would not be completed until 2025. Yesterday, I was informed that the application for planning permission was just submitted to the competent authorities this month. It is good that there is finally more clarity on the commissioning of Polbru’s new police station. The police have already been waiting far too long for new, high-performance infrastructure in Brussels,” Vanden Borre points out.

Costs increased to EUR 226 million

The costs were initially estimated at EUR 120 - 150 million, but that amount has since risen to EUR 226 million. The city council blames it on Inflation The increase in the general price level. The original meaning (literally “to blow up”) is monetary inflation, which means that the amount of money increases. Today, inflation primarily refers to price inflation. This means an implicit monetary depreciation. This causes the purchasing power to drop. inflation and the historic increase in the index. “If the original timing had been respected, this would have saved the taxpayer and our police a lot of money,” says a disappointed Vanden Borre.

The fragmentation must stop

“It should actually be the political ambition that this becomes the new headquarters for all Brussels police districts and services. The fragmentation in Brussels must stop, and a new modern police headquarters would provide an additional guarantee of a high-performance safety policy,” Vanden Borre concludes.