More greenery, less parking: Inquiry opens into Saint-Gilles redevelopment plans

Residents of densely populated lower Saint-Gilles around Brussels-Midi station are being invited to comment on plans to redevelop the area, which notably include providing more green spaces and play areas - but containing far fewer parking spots.

The public inquiry is open until 23 December.

The main targets for change are the rue Emile Féron - the section running from rue Théodore Verhaeghen to Rue d’Angleterre - and rue Joseph Claes, that runs perpendicular to this long street.

Rue Emile Féron will become a one-way residential area including a micro-park on Place des Héros near the Ulenspiegel primary school, and a car-free square at the junction with Rue de Danemark.

Rue Joseph Claes will have more safe pedestrian crossings and wider pavements, with additional improvements planned in the same district to make the area around schools and creches safer.

But the plans will also mean the removal of nearly 150 parking places. Currently 12% of public space in lower Saint-Gilles is intended for parking, compared to 10% in Brussels as a whole. The two streets now have 171 spaces. Although only a third of residents own a car, there are not enough parking spots to accommodate them.

Under the new proposals, only 62 places will be kept, said Willem Stevens (Vooruit), the commune’s alderman for urban renewal, adding: “There is still a margin for discussion, we will consider the reactions to the plan.”

The only parking spaces on the new squares will be reserved for buses and deliveries. In addition, 12 spaces will disappear in Rue d’Angleterre, Rue Fernand Bernier and Rue de Mérode.

Stevens said that there were plenty of off-street public parking spaces in the same area, according to Parking.brussels.

For example, more than 13,000 parking spaces can be found in 144 garages throughout the district. Another 2,200 parking spaces are available in three large public car parks, such as Q-park at Brussels-Midi. “There are still free places there,” says Stevens.

To alert residents to this wealth of parking opportunity, Saint-Gilles municipal council voted to eliminate the €165 per year municipal tax that garage owners have to pay per parking space, if operators rent these spaces to Saint-Gilles residents for €50 per month.

“I challenge anyone to find a garage in which to park in Brussels for a lower price than that,” said Stevens. “Of course, it might not not close to your door to park under Brussels-Midi station, but it is not insurmountable either.”

Following the public inquiry, a consultation committee will be formed and a contractor appointed. “We want to do that in 2026, but we cannot yet say when works will start,” Stevens added. “We also have to wait for reactions from the neighbourhood and the rest of Brussels.

“The principle of reconstructing these two axes was approved a few years ago. A considerable budget was already made available for the plans and the residents and traders were consulted at the time.”

As part of the ongoing investigation, a final information meeting is planned soon, he said, concluding: “There will always be parking spaces for deliveries and we will not block any street to drop off or pick up someone.

"But we are the most densely populated district in Brussels: you can’t expect all visitors to find a parking space near their destination at any time of the day."

All documents and plans for the public consultation can be consulted via openpermits.be.