Construction of Boterhalle will cost twice as much as anticipated

The old Boterhalle was demolished at the end of last year. The site on the Grote Markt is currently fallow. The new hall for events, parties and all kinds of activities will be 600 square meters in size. But the project is now more than twice as expensive as originally planned: from 4.1 to 8.8 million euros.

Almost half of the increase can be explained by rising prices of building materials such as concrete and steel. But the stability of the subsurface is also less good, which means that the foundation works will be more expensive.

Opposition requests a postponement

At the city council, N-VA municipal councilor Bert Laridon proposed to postpone the entire project until after next year’s elections, and then look again for a version without underground parking. This is not an option for the city council.

Vooruit municipal councilor Kurt Vanlerberghe also sees no problem in postponing the construction works: ‘The Boterhalle has been closed for four years now, we don’t really miss it. There are plenty of other meeting rooms in Diksmuide’.

Construction work will certainly start early next year. Diksmuide has yet to award the project to a contractor.