A new sports ground was inaugurated in the City of Brussels this weekend at Porte d'Anderlecht, near the Brussels Midi train station, to help answer the demand for sports infrastructure in the city centre.
On Saturday afternoon, the City of Brussels inaugurated the new sports ground on the Boulevard du Midi, just behind the exit of the Sewer Museum.
"The need for sports infrastructure is very high in the city, especially in the Pentagon," said Brussels City Councillor for sport Benoit Hellings (Ecolo). "We have already been working on that as a board, just think of the new sports hall in the Marolles and the grounds in the Laeken Model Quarter."
Such grounds primarily increase the offer for Brussels residents to participate in sports in public spaces, he stressed. "But they also act as meeting places, which benefits social cohesion in the neighbourhoods."
Rubbish and insecurity
During the Foir du Midi (from 13 July to 18 August this year), the sports ground at the Porte d'Anderlecht will disappear for a while. "But thanks to the special construction method, it can be put back quickly and easily," Hellings added.
However, residents have complained of rubbish lying around, from abandoned bags of household rubbish to broken glass bottles and coarse debris such as worn seats and benches, Bruzz reports.
Hellings recognised the problems, both in terms of mobility and insecurity in the neighbourhood. "As far as we are concerned, the sports field is a first step in the right direction."
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The more people use it as a meeting place, the better the atmosphere and sense of safety in the neighbourhood, he argued. "We also see this in other places where a sports ground was set up, such as on the Place du Nouveau Marché aux Grains and in the Cité Modèle."
Hellings did say that a long-term solution must be worked on for the entire avenue together with the Brussels-Capital Region, but the question remains when it will be in place. "We recently received the regional guidelines around the renewal of the neighbourhood. We will start working on that. But first the works on the Palais du Midi, as part of Metro 3, must be completed."
