Brussels South office complexes put up for sale by NMBS

The NMBS is seeking a buyer for four office complexes located at Brussels South station, spanning a total of 150,000 square meters, as reported by De Tijd on Friday. These office complexes include the France-Bara complex on France Street, the Atrium office building on Hallepoortlaan, and the Delta-Zennewater buildings. These properties are listed for sale on the NMBS real estate website.

Typically, the consortium responsible for constructing the new headquarters of the railway company would also acquire these sites. However, the NMBS is now conducting a public sale procedure for these properties, marking a change in its approach. Initially, these sites were supposed to be redeveloped by a consortium consisting of Besix, BPC/BPI, and Immobel, who were also tasked with building the railway company’s new headquarters adjacent to the South Station.

In 2020, the contract award for the new headquarters project was contingent upon the consortium taking over these four office complexes to help fund the headquarters construction. However, recent developments suggest that the consortium is no longer interested in the sites, possibly due to rising construction costs and a sluggish real estate market.

The reason behind this change in plans remains unclear, but the decision to seek a buyer for the properties reflects a shift in strategy by the NMBS. By putting these office complexes up for sale, the railway company is exploring alternative avenues to manage and finance its real estate holdings.