2015-06-03 – Planning permission for the redevelopment of the public spaces at Porte de Ninove was issued on 22 May, the Minister-President and the Minister of Public Works of the Brussels-Capital Region announced on Wednesday. A new and crucial stage has thus been completed in the ambitious redevelopment of this strategic site.
The permission provides for the development of a large park, measures to reduce the impact of traffic and the enhancement of the quality of the public spaces. It takes account of local residents’ remarks regarding the passage of the tram through the green space: the tram route has been modified and now passes down Chaussée de Ninove, allowing the park to be made considerably larger than in the original plans.
The work, funded by the Brussels Region and Beliris(*), will be able to start in early 2016, for completion by October 2018. By then, the remaining buildings will have been demolished and the site cleared and secured. Temporary projects may be proposed to occupy the space and liven up the local area.
The redevelopment of public spaces is also the starting-point for a housing project, for which a feasibility study has been conducted by the Region and the company Besix, which owns one of the two plots of land on the site. The Government took note of this study in March 2014 and validated the recommended scenario, involving the construction of a total of about 30,000 m² of housing. The urban development of this site will take place within the framework of planning regulations; the work of defining these regulations will start shortly.
(*) Cooperation Agreement between the FederalStateand the Brussels-Capital Region, making provision for initiatives to promote Brussels’ international role and its function as a capital.
