Plans by Union Saint-Gilloise to build a new stadium were handed a major boost last week, as DH Les Sports reported that an appeal against the club’s environmental exemption was rejected by Brussels city authorities,
The Belgian champions intend to build a new stadium in the Parc de Bempt, in Forest, and have been in talks with the municipal authorities since 2019 to buy the land. The new ground would accommodate 16,000 fans, almost double the capacity of their current home, the Stade Joseph-Marien.
Bruxelles Environnement, the region's governing body for protected sites, granted the project an exemption from environmental protection regulations last summer. This dispensation would only come into effect once the club receives an environmental permit, however, and specifically concerns measures related to biodiversity in the park.
According to the regional authorities, the project meets the requirements for an exemption for "reasons of major public interest". The regional authorities also explained that the new stadium would contribute to "local social dynamics and cohesion" as well as the "influence of the Brussels-Capital Region".
Nesting boxes and hedgehog shelters
The exemption entails several obligations for the club. USG are notably required to plant 269 trees to make up for the 237 which would be cut down to make way for the complex. The trees must be felled between 1 September and 28 February, which would be before the start of the nesting period for birds.
Buildings on the site will also be required to include artificial nesting boxes for several species, namely black swifts, housemartins and sparrows. Some of the wood from the park's trees must be used to build hedgehog shelters, while the fencing of the site will have to allow for "the passage of fauna".
'Destruction of species and their habitat'
Several Brussels-based environmental organisations challenged the decision. We Are Nature argued that the project did not justify the "destruction of species and their habitat" within the Parc de Bempt, and that nearby brownfield sites could have been chosen instead. The appeal was examined by the region's Collège de l'Environnement, which confirmed the exemption and added 'minor changes'.
The club has still several hurdles to clear before the project can go ahead. Its applications for planning and environmental permits are still under scrutiny by the regional authorities, while talks are ongoing with the municipality of Forest over the sale of the site.
USG's battle for a new stadium has been at the centre of a row between the club and the municipal authorities, which notably saw the regional government step in as a mediator last year.
The Stade Joseph-Marien has been the club's home for over a century, except for a period of renovation work between 2016 and 2018. Since rising back to the top of Belgian football, the club's management has made it a priority to build a new ground which meets UEFA requirements for European cup competitions.
This season, the Unionistes have played their Champions League matches at the stadium of rivals Anderlecht. They will host Italian side Atalanta at the end of the month for their final league stage match, having already welcomed Newcastle United, Inter Milan, and Marseille.
