Verdonck Stadium, located in Anderlecht, will soon open to local residents following a decade-long abandonment.
Since 2019, local residents have voiced complaints about people dumping waste and squatting in the old building. “Following a cleanup operation, the question then is if the stadium could be repurposed rather than being left to further deteriorate,” Anderlecht councillor in charge of public spaces said.
Local resident groups, alongside non-profit We Are Nature, approached local officials advocating for the site’s reopening for use to children and local residents. “It’s a neighbourhood with little public space, little green space, where children could just play,” says Selma Benkhelifa a local resident.
The Public administration for school buildings (SPABS) has been planning to turn the site into a sports centre, but several years are likely to elapse before this happens.
Anderlecht council have now finally reached an agreement to open the stadium for public use. It remains to be determined how site management and maintenance will be conducted and what the practical uses for the ground will be.
