WILLEMSTAD - The dilapidated building on the corner of Keukenstraat and Sommelsdijkstraat is still allowed to be demolished, as ruled by the court today. ProMo Foundation contested the demolition and partially won the case in court. The Minister of VVRP (Public Works) had insufficiently justified the decision to proceed with the demolition at the time. Therefore, the court has annulled the ruling. Nonetheless, the court upholds the legal consequences of the ruling. This means that the privately-owned building may be demolished. During the hearing, the Ministry of VVRP provided sufficient evidence of the risk of collapse. It is not yet known when the demolition work will resume.
It's worth noting that the building is owned by the De Windt heirs. On February 22, 2023, the Ministry of VVRP informed the owners that they had to carry out work on the building within 48 hours. It was also made clear to them that if they fail to do so, the government would undertake these works and recover the costs from the owners. Repair work is now a thing of the past. If the demolition is limited to the roof and gutter, it is not excluded that the building may not collapse further.