The redevelopment of the historic Place de la Liberté is one step closer to becoming a reality as the Brussels government has given the project the green light, overruling two previous opinions on it.
The Brussels government has delivered a permit for the redevelopment of Place de la Liberté in the centre of Brussels. The lively square has several bars and restaurants dotted around it, and the large trees were added in the 1970s to make the square greener. The trees play a key role in making the square more liveable, but have been at the centre of a debate on whether the plans to redevelop the space can go ahead.
Due to poor planning, tree roots are pushing up pavements and the street lining, worsening accessibility. The proposal put forward by the City of Brussels and former Councillor for City Planning Ans Persoons focused on the square's heritage while protecting the existing trees.
The square in its current form. Credit: Ans Persoons Cabinet
To do so, the ground around the trees would be raised, and they would be laid down in dolomite to allow roots to grow freely. However, the project was blocked by the Royal Commission on Monuments and Sites (KCML), which was followed by a negative opinion from urban.brussels, which delivers permits but cannot deviate from the KCML advice.
Appealing refusal
The project was refused because the neoclassical square has been listed as heritage since 1983. The KCML argued that construction at grade and preservation of the trees would continue to hide the historic façades on the square, making them "incompatible with the valorisation of the heritage," meaning they would have to be cut down as part of a redevelopment.
As this was not an option for the City of Brussels, it appealed the refusal. This was followed by a hearing at which both the City of Brussels and an authorised official were present. Based on the advice of the Urban Planning Board, the Brussels government – which is not bound by the advice of the KCML, nor by the Urban Planning Board – made the final decision to issue the permit, preserving the trees.
"Combining heritage conservation with contemporary urban needs such as accessibility and greening is always a challenge," said Ans Persoons, current State Secretary for Town Planning and Heritage. "The trees on the square create an undeniable, enormous added value for the square. They are part of the square's appearance and are just as important as the historic façades next to them. This permit makes the square accessible to everyone again, while the trees flourish."
Brussels Councillor and Persoons' successor Anaïs Maes stated that the decision of the Brussels government was a "great relief" and also a "powerful signal" that heritage conservation "can and must go hand in hand with greening."
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In the final design of the reconstruction, the entire green area around the Charles Rogier statue will be reconstructed and the original ornamental fences will be rebuilt and reinstalled.
Pavements will be renewed and lowered to be in line with the street. The project also includes the removal of the 21 parking spaces around Place du Congrès; these will be replaced with a parking zone for bicycles.
On the nearby Rue du Congrès to the south of the square, new trees will be planted.
