Pedestrian zone paving stones placed in wrong direction

Construction work on Brussels' pedestrian zone has suffered a minor hiccup - after some of the new paving stones were laid the wrong way round.

A section of Boulevard Anspach at the junction of Rue Grétry, near Viage casino, will have to be dug up and done again. The problem should be fixed by the end of the week and will have no overall impact on the construction schedule.

"The paving stones should run at 90° to the busiest direction of travel," said a Beliris spokesman. "This is better for users and means the stones last longer."

In related news, Dutch-language bookstore Standaard Boekhandel is leaving its Place de la Monnaie location to move into a new location on the pedestrian zone, previously occupied by furniture store Maisons du Monde.

The new location will allow the bookstore to double in size and the move is due to go ahead in June.

Photo: Construction work at De Brouckere last month. Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga