Concerns raised over parking at new Union Saint-Gilloise stadium

The long-awaited new stadium for Brussels’ famous Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (USG) football club, planned for the Bempt site in Forest, will only have 150 parking spaces, when 2,100 are needed, local officials in neighbouring Uccle have warned.

For Uccle councillor Marc Cools (En Avant), relying on existing car parks to help will not be sufficient and he fears that parking problems will likely spark chaos in his commune, which shares a border with Forest close to the proposed stadium site.

"I’m not against the club or the stadium project, but I do wonder about the mobility aspect," he told Bruzz. "The traffic flow to the site from the south goes straight through Uccle, via Rue de Stalle, Chaussée de Neerstalle and Chaussée d'Alsemberg."

Cools said that the club does not realise that existing car parks – for example at Drogenbos shopping centre or at Uccle-Stalle, where the club plans to ferry match-goers by shuttle bus if needed – are already very busy.

He also questions if Uccle’s own plans to build a national hockey stadium on the Zwartebeek site, 700 metres from the proposed new football ground, are being taken into account.

In addition, he said that attention should be paid to parking problems arising from major concerts taking place at Forest National, which could clash with USG matches.

The football stadium, estimated to cost between €70 and €85 million, is to accommodate 16,000 spectators. If 30% of Union fans drive to matches, that means 4,500 car-driving visitors to a sold-out stadium, although some will carpool. The USG website also states that it can count on existing parking for 5,500 places.

The club with its striking blue-and-yellow strip - which won the Belgian Pro league in 2024 for the first time in 90 years - assumes 70% of visitors will come to matches by public transport, bicycle or foot.

It points out the ease of access using tram lines 4 and 82 or Forest-Sud train stations. “Union also wants tram 4 to be extended to Bempt,” Cools added. “This is not a bad idea, but it will not be achieved overnight.”

He hopes that Uccle municipal council will ask USG to provide more parking spaces immediately instead of waiting for the planned public inquiry: “Having been an alderman myself, I know how difficult it is to see finished plans thoroughly at inquiry stage. I am convinced it is better to ask questions on parking now.”

While not disputing that only 150 new parking spots are planned, USG spokesperson Maarten Verdoodt said that this would not impact the new stadium.

The park-and-ride facilities at Ceria in Anderlecht and Stalle in Uccle, the former Audi site and Drogenbos Shopping car parks can also offer space, he said, and USG has also contacted the owners of private car parks on the Boulevard de l’Humanité for permission to use their spaces.

"The supply - from 2,570 to 3,300 spaces, depending on the time - far exceeds estimated demand for parking - 2,100 spaces - on a match day," he said.

"The study [saying USG would need more parking] did not look at on-street parking and took into account events at Forest-National,” the spokesperson said. “Away supporters are obliged to come by bus anyway.”

He added that “the guarantee that we have enough parking spaces is in any case an important point for obtaining the permit. Moreover, the number of visitors who come by car is not the same as the number of parking spaces needed.”

Verdoodt said public transport will easily meet match day demand too: “With three tram lines and several bus lines, the current capacity is already enough, as occupancy rate at the end of the route is low.”

The club also has an agreement, “in principle”, that the Stib will provide more buses and trams on match days.

He added: “We are certainly not against an extension of certain public transport lines, but it is not necessary.”