Ten Brabant national monuments soon seem to be in the hands of the national monument manager Boei for spot prices. This includes the Maurick (Vught) and Dussen Castles, the former Sint-Jankerk in Roosendaal, the Carolus monastery in Valkenswaard and the Broederkapel in Veghel. All these buildings are now owned by Monuments Beheer Brabant (MBB), whose shareholders now want to sell their properties.
The monuments are still owned by MBB, in which the province is 72.6 percent in size. The municipalities of Tilburg, Roosendaal, Meijerijstad and health insurer CZ are the other shareholders.
According to the province, the current portfolio is too small and financially not sustainable. “The buildings cannot support themselves and considerable investments are needed for maintenance and sustainability in the coming years,” the province writes.
For this reason, the shareholders want to sell the MBB shares to buoy in one go. That organization already manages 120 monuments and has been familiar with buildings of MBB for eight years. The sale takes place at appraised market value, including overdue maintenance.
Low rating
The entire portfolio is transferred to Boei for around 6 million euros. The low rating of some buildings raises questions. For example, Maurick Castle is estimated at almost 3 million euros, while Dussen Castle changes ownership for only 280,000 euros.
The former Sint-Jankerk in Roosendaal is rated at 110,000 euros and an old bakehouse in Eindhoven even only 1 euros. It is also striking that five houses in the Bossche city center together should only yield 320,000 euros.
Although the province wants to sell everything to one party, it is not possible. For example, the Walloon church in Den Bosch was previously sold separately. Roosendaal, after the province, also wants to retain the former Sint-Jankerk itself.
The church is now being converted into a cultural temple and the municipality wants to keep control over further management. “The church has been empty for a long time and overdue maintenance has not been picked up for years,” says Alderman Koenraad. “That should no longer happen in the future. After all, Sint-Jan is defining Roosendaal.”
Collect loss
In order to realize the acquisition and secure the retention of the buildings, the province of Boei wants to give a loan of 37 million euros. That loan comes from the so -called immunization portfolio of the Essentgelden and is intended to preserve heritage for future generations.
All shareholders of MBB have agreed to the intention, even though they suffer a financial loss. The importance of preserving these Brabant monuments outweighs them, they think. “As a province, we think it is important that monuments in Brabant are in good condition. After all, they tell the story of Brabant.”
The sale has already been announced in the provincial magazine. Other parties were able to report, but buoy turned out to be the only serious candidate. The Provincial States consider the proposal after the summer, they must give permission for both the sale of shares and the provision of the loan.