Construction on certain green spaces in the capital has been temporarily halted after a court ruled in favour of several nature groups and over 1,000 Brussels residents.
The Brussels-Capital Region has been told to stop issuing building permits on any undeveloped land larger than 0.5 hectares, according to a statement by the association We Are Nature.Brussels on Monday.
The ruling, issued on 29 October, will remain in effect at least until 31 December 2026 or until the Regional Land Use Plan (PRAS) is revised.
The case was brought to court last year by WeAreNature.Brussels, the group Bruxelles Nature, and 1,330 local citizens.
They argued that the Region should not urbanise undeveloped land without updating development regulations to better adhere to climate goals.
The areas affected by the ruling include Josaphat Friche, the Marais Wiels, the Bempt, and Carré des Chardons.
The president of WeAreNature.Brussels, Jean-Baptiste Godinot, welcomed the ruling in a statement on Monday. "This is excellent news for biodiversity and Brussels' resilience to extreme weather events…and therefore for citizens, their health and their well-being."
He added: “The Region must now develop a coherent, nature-based adaptation strategy that protects the most vulnerable.”
In addition, the nature group sees the court's decision as a win for the preservation of undeveloped land across the country. "It also helps to establish legal precedent, which other citizens in other towns and regions can then use to make similar requests to their own courts," reads a statement by the association.
The ruling is currently being studied by the cabinet of outgoing Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort (PS) and outgoing State Secretary for Urban Development Ans Persoons (Vooruit), according to Bruzz.
Related News
- UN-organized climate summit for world leaders sees sharp drop in 2025
- 'They see Brussels as an oil stain': Changing a neglected capital
- Belgium's water 'roulette': Extreme weather complicates water resilience
- Project aims to return European bison to Belgium
- Local citizen groups push back on real estate project in Ixelles
- Priced-out Brussels residents looking further afield to buy a house
