Plans to relocate 230 asylum seekers from Fedasil’s Koekelberg facility to a converted nursing home in Uccle have been put on hold after local residents secured an emergency court hearing on 13 July. Uccle Mayor Valentine Delwart told The Brussels Times she had not been consulted and accused the federal government of presenting the municipality with a “fait accompli”. The reception centre had been due to open on 14 July but will now remain closed until the court rules on the legality of the permitting process. Under the relocation plan, nonprofit Samusocial would manage the Beeckmanstraat site with a staff of 35, housing mainly single-parent families. Fedasil argues the move is a like-for-like replacement for the Koekelberg building, whose lease expires in August, and stresses Belgium’s legal obligation to provide shelter under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 2007 Reception Act. Neighbourhood groups, however, say they had only weeks’ notice and no access to impact studies. An online petition surpassed 1,400 signatures within 48 hours, and locals have hired lawyers to challenge zoning compliance. The case highlights a broader tension in Belgian asylum policy: reception capacity is controlled federally, but the socio-economic impact is felt locally. For global-mobility managers relocating staff to Brussels, the dispute is a reminder that community pushback can delay the opening of essential migrant services, creating uncertainty for dependants awaiting status decisions. Companies may need to source temporary housing for relocating employees who volunteer or work in the asylum sector, as staffing timelines now hinge on the court’s schedule. Fedasil says it remains committed to dialogue and will draft a neighbourhood charter covering security and coexistence once the legal dust settles. In the interim, asylum applicants housed in Koekelberg face an extended stay in a building already slated for hand-back to its owner, adding pressure to Belgium’s overstretched reception network.
Source: The Brussels Times
