New Antwerp Prison Empty as Government Pays €2M Monthly Rent

A brand-new prison in Antwerp, built at a cost of €195.5 million and capable of housing 440 inmates, has been completed and handed over to authorities — yet remains entirely empty. The Belgian government is now paying nearly €2 million per month in availability fees to a private consortium for the unused facility, sparking sharp criticism amid a deepening national prison overcrowding crisis.

The keys to the new facility on the Blue Gate business park in Antwerp-Zuid were transferred to the Buildings Agency (Regie der Gebouwen) on April 20, 2026. However, the prison will not receive its first inmates until at least September 2026, due to a technical defect and a severe staffing shortage, according to Het Laatste Nieuws.

A Costly Idle Asset

Under the terms of the Design-Build-Finance-Maintain (DBFM) public-private partnership signed in 2021, the government pays a quarterly availability fee of €5.9 million — roughly €1.97 million per month — to the consortium Hortus Conclusus, which comprises Jan De Nul, EEG, and the listed investment company TINC. An additional €950,000 per quarter is paid for facility services including waste management, laundry, and catering.

“From April 20, the Buildings Agency and the FOD Justice pay an availability fee of 5.9 million euros per trimester to the private investors,” confirmed Steven Hus, spokesperson for the Regie der Gebouwen.

Over the 25-year contract period, the total cost in availability fees alone will reach approximately €577.5 million, after which ownership of the building transfers to the state at no additional cost. The construction cost was €195.5 million, according to the Regie der Gebouwen project page.

Two Obstacles: A Technical Flaw and a Staffing Gap

The delay stems from two separate issues. First, a technical problem was discovered after the handover that requires clarification between the Justice department and the Buildings Agency before the official inauguration can proceed. The inauguration had been scheduled for June 19, 2026, with Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) set to cut the ribbon, but that date is now uncertain.

“A technical problem has emerged about which Justice first wants clarity from the Buildings Agency,” said Kathleen Van de Vijver, spokesperson for the Prison Service. “Only when that is resolved can the invitations for the inauguration go out.”

The second, and perhaps more daunting, challenge is staffing. The new prison requires 320 full-time positions. Only 53 penitentiary officers from the old Begijnenstraat prison can transfer, leaving 270 new hires to be recruited and trained.

“320 full-time positions are planned for Antwerp-Zuid,” said Robby De Kaey, ACOD union representative. “Currently, there are 53 penitentiary officers in surplus at the Begijnenstraat. That means 270 new people still need to be found. I’m curious if that will succeed.”

A Contrast in Conditions

The situation has drawn particular outrage because of the stark contrast with conditions at the old Begijnenstraat prison, which dates from 1855 and is described as “completely worn out.” This week alone, 69 inmates were sleeping on the floor there.

Meanwhile, the broader Belgian prison system is in crisis. At Haren prison — the country’s largest, with a capacity of 1,129 — approximately 1,500 inmates are currently housed, with 279 sleeping on mattresses on the floor. The director of Haren, Jurgen Van Poecke, resigned in May 2026 in protest, telling De Tijd via Belga that “a perfidious logic has emerged: the harder we try to survive, the more the impression arises that ‘it’s still going okay.’ But the people are being destroyed by it.”

Private Security Dispute

Adding to the controversy, the FOD Justice plans to hire 30 private security guards for access control at the new prison, at a cost of €11 million. Unions have strongly opposed the move, arguing that the added value of private guards remains unexplained.

“After months of negotiations, FOD Justice still can’t tell us how the tasks of those security guards will be filled,” De Kaey said. “That private security costs a lot of money. We’re talking about 11 million euros, but no one can tell us anything more about the added value.”

What’s Next

Even if the technical issue is resolved in time for a June 19 inauguration, a test period will follow — including a test weekend where volunteers are locked in cells — that is expected to last through the summer. The earliest possible operational date is September 2026, though unions remain skeptical that sufficient staff will be available by then.

The new prison will eventually relieve pressure on the antiquated Begijnenstraat facility, but its 440 cells represent only a fraction of what is needed to address Belgium’s national prison overcrowding crisis. With the government locked into €23.1 million in annual payments for the next quarter-century, questions about the DBFM model’s efficiency and the broader prioritization of prison spending are likely to persist.