The former Sofinals site covers has been leaving for more than twenty years since the bankruptcy of the textile company in 2003. Plans to breathe new life into the site remain dead letter for the time being. Intercommunale Leiedal showed interest in the purchase of the site, but the necessary remediation of the land appears to be a financial obstacle.
As long as the site stays on Braak, local residents fear that the nuisance will persist. “It’s the umpteenth time here that there is arson. That they quickly throw it down,” says a local resident. In the meantime, the Waregem fire brigade calls for vigilance and asks that suspicious actions in and around the site are reported immediately.