The letter received on Wednesday left no room for doubt: De Melver, a real institution in Saint-Trond, was to close with immediate effect. As Het Belang van Limburg explains, the stability of the restaurant was no longer assured and it threatened to collapse at any moment. “We knew there were stability issues. But not to this extent”, explains Peggy, the owner, to our Flemish colleagues.
She confesses: “Yes, water seeped in from time to time, but we never thought that the building was about to collapse! “. Yet it is a reality today as she and her husband Jan renewed their lease for another nine years… just two months ago. The shock was therefore great when they received the mail from the owner of the premises (the brewing giant Alken-Maes). “It was sent without any prior contact. »
After 37 years of good and loyal service without interruption, the couple finds itself today without income. “We are both well into our 50s…We knew that the property had been on sale for some time and that the owner was unwilling or unable to afford the necessary repairs. If we don’t comply, and we stubbornly ignore the mandatory closure, we will be responsible if accidents occur and, at our age, we can no longer take this risk either. »
For his part, the communication manager at Alken-Maes confirms having requested the “forced” and “immediate” closure of the brewery. “The reason is an expert report which showed that there were serious stability problems where the safety of visitors could no longer be guaranteed. We cannot take these risks as tenants. Jan and Peggy have been sub-tenants and operators of the restaurant establishment for 37 years. In the course of next week, there will be a meeting with the managers. We will do everything we can to find the best solution for them,” he told HBVL.