What will be built on the Josaphat Brownfield in Schaerbeek? A public inquiry will be held about the future development of the area, after the application for a subdivision permit.
The Josaphat wasteland, covering 25 hectares, is a former marshalling yard located between the municipalities of Schaerbeek and Evere.
This wasteland has been the object of grassroots mobilisation and political division in the capital, due to the biodiversity that has developed there over the years, including birds, wild bees, moths, butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, beetles and grasshoppers.
Owned by the Urban Development Company (SAU), it is currently the subject of a development project aiming to create a new neighbourhood. This will include housing (a large portion of which will be public housing), amenities, green spaces, and soft mobility infrastructure.
This project was led by the Eiffage-AXA consortium, which was appointed by the Capital Region. It is currently the subject of a development permit application for the western part of the site, on the Schaerbeek side. The aim is to create a new neighbourhood on that part of the site.
The Josaphat Brownfield, Credit: Bernard Pasau/Belga.
Now, residents and associations are invited to share their comments. The public inquiry will allow all those concerned – which includes numerous expats living in the area – to express their views.
"It is essential that Schaerbeek residents are well informed and can make their voices heard," said Martin de Brabant, Schaerbeek's councillor for Urban Development. "This is the only way a project of this magnitude can take root in the long term."
The public inquiry opened on 25 August and will remain open until 23 September. While the municipality of Schaerbeek was not the initiator of the project, it will also submit an opinion.
At the municipality's request, the public inquiry process will be strengthened, and an information meeting will be organised by the Region and the developer to allow citizens to better understand the issues and details of the project.
A model of the project will also be on display, while a poster campaign will reach as many Schaerbeek residents as possible.
How to participate?
All documents are available online from 25 August to 23 September on the website openpermits.brussels. A paper version can also be viewed at the municipal hall (100 Place Colignon).
Comments can be submitted before 23 September via the website, by email (mpp@1030.be), or by post (municipal hall, Office 2.08 – Urban Planning and Environment Department, Place Colignon, 1030 Schaerbeek).
An information meeting will also be scheduled in Schaerbeek on Thursday 4 September at 18:30 at the Event Lounge (Boulevard Général Wahis 16/F).
