The nightclub Fuse will no longer have to face the restrictions imposed by Brussels-Environment, La Dernière Heure reported on Thursday. But the news isn't quite cause for celebration for the iconic venue, which must now strictly abide by the capital's noise standards.
The subject of long-standing noise complaints, the club came close to permanent closure at the start of the year before being given a lifeline which saw it resume business as usual. But after consideration by Brussels' Environmental College, which acts as Brussels-Environment's court of appeals, prior restrictions imposed in January were overruled.
The nightclub had threatened to close its doors over the regulations which stipulated that it could only play music at a maximum of 95 dB and would have to close doors at 02:00. It maintained that such conditions would be untenable.
The Environmental College sided with the club's owners and stated that Brussels-Environment had modified the nightclub's environmental permit, which is beyond its authority. However, they have asked Fuse to abide by the regional regulations regarding neighbourhood noise, environmentally-classified facilities and amplified sound.
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In response to the decision, a spokesperson for Brussels' Environmental Minister Alain Maron told The Brussels Times that the nightclub "is back to its initial (and difficult) situation". They lamented the lack of "long-term solutions" with Fuse still having to contend with angry neighbours and strict restrictions.
The City of Brussels' mayor Philippe Close meanwhile applauded the college's decision, hailing it a victory for the rule of law. The mayor referred to a previous disagreement on the issue between regional and municipal authorities. He again claimed that decisions regarding the nightclub belonged to the jurisdiction of his municipality.
Translation of tweet: "A wise decision from the Environmental College which recalls that only the city can modify Fuse's environmental permit. It's always best when the rule of law respects each other's authority..."
