City of Brussels chooses BAM-Ghelamco for building new stadium
(Press release City of Brussels - This page has been automatically translated from French into English by a translation software. Automatic translations are not as accurate as translations made by professional human translators. Nevertheless these pages can help you understand information published by the City of Brussels) Brussels, Belgium, 19 March 2015 - On 19 March 2015, the Board of the City selected the preferred candidate for the construction of the new stadium at parking C. The BAM-Ghelamco consortium was chosen from three candidates for the financing, construction and operation of the new football stadium at the Heysel.
This choice was made after analysis of the award criteria included in the market survey which was launched on 31 March 2014 by the City Council of the City of Brussels. These criteria are:
- the feasibility of the implementation of the stadium
- the feasibility and quality of the operation of the stadium
- the terms of the lease
- financial and contractual guarantees
- architectural quality and the incorporation of the project in the landscape
The advisory committee was composed of representatives of the City of Brussels, the Brussels Capital Region, the municipality of Grimbergen, residents committees of the City of Brussels and the town of Grimbergen and independent architects and experts.
Negotiations
At this stage of the procedure, none of the three candidates has been excluded: the negotiations between the City and the preferred candidate will start in the next few weeks, with a view to concluding a contract for the lease. If both parties do not reach an agreement, the City reserves the right to turn to another candidate.
Renewed Heysel
In the redevelopment of the Heysel, the new project takes an essential place with a modern stadium with 60,000 places in the vicinity of the Atomium, the Exhibition Palaces (Brussels Expo), a shopping centre, a conference hall of 5,000 seats and a theatre with 15,000 places in Palais 12.
Start of the construction in 2016
In late June 2015, the contract will be signed for the construction of the stadium between the City and the selected candidate. Depending on the time required for the issuance of the necessary permits, the construction of the new stadium at parking C will be launched in early 2016.
That year, the European football association UEFA will also choose the host city for the opening match of Euro 2020. The City of Brussels, which is already a host city for the European Football Championship, is a candidate for this opening match.