Sint-Niklaas Orders Demolition of Unstable Heritage Facade on Walburgstraat

Sint-Niklaas will demolish a listed facade on Walburgstraat on Thursday after debris fell on Monday, prompting the mayor to prioritise public safety over heritage retention. The street remains closed to motor traffic while emergency works are prepared.

What happened on Walburgstraat early Monday?

At around the early morning of 17 August 2026 on a Monday, pieces of stones and plaster from a protected façade of an architectural building on Walburgstraat in Sint-Niklaas collapsed and fell onto the streets below. The emergency services cordoned off the area due to the likelihood of additional collapse, while at the same time closing the road to vehicles because of safety concerns. There were no reports of anyone being injured, but the collapsing building prompted an immediate safety evaluation of the unstable building.

Why was the facade considered dangerous for years?

The fact that the building which fell down on Monday belongs to a listed heritage feature does not mean that the building had no problems before. On the contrary, according to local authorities and the owner of the property, the mentioned façade has been affected by stability issues for a long time already. This particular location is not new to similar incidents; thus, in 2019, the same place was declared dangerous and resulted in the destruction of the back part of the building.

What did Mayor Lieven Dehandschutter decide and why?

Since the experts checked out the area after the debris fell on Monday, Mayor Lieven Dehandschutter (N-V.A.) decided that it was impossible to keep the facade safe anymore, and he decided to fully demolish it on Thursday, 20 August 2026. The reason for such a decision is that the mayor has emergency powers which allow him to make such decisions if there is an immediate danger to the citizens’ safety despite the status of the building as a heritage.

How does the social housing owner view the safety dilemma?

The plot, with its facade, is currently the property of the social housing company Woonst, which acquired the plot last year and intends to use it to build a parking zone and residential housing complex. The chairman of the Woonst board, Wouter Van Bellingen (Vooruit), viewed the demolition as a necessity based on safety reasons rather than an optional step in the planning process. “We are the new owners of the facade, but at the same time we need to be brave enough to raise the issue of safety. Safety always goes first, we do not want any fragments to hit someone,” Van Bellingen stated.

What redevelopment is planned for the Walburgstraat site?

The mixed plan of Woonst for the Walburgstraat location includes both local parking and construction of social housing in the area. According to the plan, the construction company will construct about 25 units of social housing in the area alongside the neighbourhood parking and a passageway system aimed at improving circulation in the area. However, the unstable facade was hindering the progress of this process and hence, the demolition was necessary before the plan could be actualized.

How does heritage protection interact with emergency safety measures?

In Flanders, changes and destructions of protected monuments usually need a permit and supervision by the concerned heritage authority; however, emergency actions are allowed in case of life danger according to the law and mayors can demolish buildings, shore up buildings, or remove parts of buildings without going through all of the previous steps. This is exactly what happened in the case of the Walburgstraat, where an emergency safety decision has been taken to remove a heritage-listed façade.

What is the current status of Walburgstraat and next steps?

Until Wednesday, 19 August 2026, Walburgstraat will continue to be inaccessible to vehicles in preparation for the demolition that is scheduled for Thursday. It seems that this road will remain closed at least until after the demolition and when the area becomes safe enough for use. Following the demolition, more inspection and cleanup will be done to determine the time of the reopening of the road and the time of starting the construction works on the new housing and parking project.

Have similar heritage facade incidents occurred before in Belgium?

In the case of Sint-Niklaas, there is also a pattern in Belgium of incidents where deteriorating facades on listed or important buildings lead to the emergency closure and demolition of buildings for safety reasons. This has happened with parts of the Justice Palace in Brussels where there was a collapse of the ceiling and facade caused by renovation work and leaks in the building. Other listed buildings that have been closed due to security concerns are the Japanese Tower and Chinese Pavilion in Brussels because ornaments are becoming loose due to the deferred maintenance situation. However, not all these instances have resulted in total demolition but they share one common factor in that the decision had to be made between heritage conservation and the safety of people who pass through the areas.