The church in Heffen, a village that is part of the city of Mechelen (Antwerp Province), will be able to reopen in the Autumn. The church’s spire was toppled by high winds during the storm on 9 July. The roof of the building was also badly damaged when the spire fell. Less than a week later builders started temporary renovation work on the church in order to ensure that it can reopen in the autumn.
This work is being carried out ahead of permanent renovation that it is hoped will ensure that the church will remain a focal point in the village for many years to come.
During the storm on 9 July the spire fell down, causing a lot of damage to the roof structure of the church. Mechelen City Council appointed a building contractor straight away to carry out urgent repair work.
Although most of the country’s builders were on holiday at the time work got under way just 5 days later. Now, after just over three weeks the temporary repairs are almost complete.
The Mayor of Mechelen Bart Somers (liberal, photo below right) told VRT News that measures were taken immediately to protect the churche's interior features and its works of art. Mr Somers added that "Meanwhile, the roof has also been temporarily repaired and the church is waterproof and windproof again."
Permanent renovation work will get under way in 2026. The work will cost between 2 million and 2.5 million euro. Mr Somers says that he expects to be able to recover most of this from the building’s insurance. The bill for the temporary repairs runs to 200,000 euro.