The Brussels-Capital Region Government met on Thursday to tackle the stalled plans for a housing project on the "Friche Josaphat", a divisive issue that has pitted the Socialist Party (PS) against the Greens (Ecolo).
Despite the government's long-standing intention to develop the disused railyard, plans were scuppered as the Greens came to recognise the area as one of the region's few areas of biodiversity. The subsequent falling out of governing parties has led to decisions being taken by local authorities without waiting for a government resolution.
With tensions between the opposing parties being made public, Thursday's meeting was conducted remotely, though representatives of both sides of the rift were in attendance so as to not further disrupt government proceedings. Yet in the event, the housing project itself was not discussed, with things still too heated between both parties.
Pushing ahead
The dispute initially broke out after Green government ministers Alain Maron and Barbara Trachte left a meeting in protest of a "socialist power grab" to push through their proposal.
The PS want to build affordable housing on the brownfield site, which used to be a train yard that has been allowed to rewild. The Greens, on the other hand, had grown increasingly resistant to the project due to the site's natural attributes.
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Nonetheless, the building works were approved by various local bodies which the greens have stated were pushed to do so by Brussels' Minister-President Rudi Vervoort (PS). Moreover, Ecolo complains that they were not consulted ahead of the other bodies' approval of the project.
In the meantime, thirty activists gathered in front of the government's headquarters on Thursday to call for the preservation of the site, Belga News Agency reported.
