Antwerp Hilton Hotel Gets Approval for Four More Floors
The Hilton Hotel in Antwerp has received approval to add four more floors to the building, allowing the major redevelopment project to move forward.
Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns of CD&V has approved the plans after earlier permits were also granted by the province. Appeals against the project have now been rejected.
The expanded hotel will add around 137 rooms, as well as a fitness center and an outdoor swimming pool.
The wider project covers the area between Groenplaats, Schoenmarkt, Eiermarkt and Beddenstraat in the center of Antwerp. The nearby Grand Bazar shopping center will also be renovated, with new shops, offices and additional hotel rooms planned.
Brouns said the project will give the area a new future and bring more space for hotels, shops, restaurants and offices. He also said the historic Antwerp skyline, including the famous Boerentoren, can still be preserved.
The design was changed after concerns about its visual impact. The height of the new floors was reduced and a large corner section was removed to make the building fit better with its surroundings.
However, Fernand Huts, the owner of the nearby Boerentoren, remains strongly opposed to the project.
Huts says the new construction will block the view of the Scheldt from the Boerentoren and harm Antwerp’s historic city center.
He described the project as “a terrible project” and compared the new structure to “an ugly garage put on top of a hotel.”
Huts also accused the city and province of giving too much importance to the interests of the property developer instead of local residents.
The decision can still be challenged before the Council for Permit Disputes. Huts has not yet decided whether he will take the case further.
