Containers blocking homes in Ixelles will stay in place until summer

A large stack of containers in Ixelles that has been blocking out the sun for about 30 residents and some organisations since November will remain in place until June, contrary to promises made to move it as quickly as possible.

The impact of the container tower on the neighbourhood has been significant, Bruzz reports, with at least one business closing and residents saying the tower has provided a discreet place for drug abuse and trafficking to take place in their neighbourhood.

“Residents are depressed, and I don't know if I can keep my staff,” said Hayate El Aachouche, director of the non-profit organisation Le Printemps de la Tulipe, which works to curb school dropouts.

The containers were built on Rue Jules Bouillon as part of a long-term construction projectin the area, but residents question why they have to be stacked so high and so close to people’s homes – close enough that they can touch them from their balconies and the sun is fully blocked out, darkening windows during the most depressing months of the year.

The deadline for removing the containers has been extended in two-week increments since November, until February was proposed as the final departure date. That deadline too has since been dropped.

Le Printemps de la Tulipe received a letter last week announcing that the containers would not be moved until June because while the municipality tried to move them to an alternative location, this proved impossible and an another solution was not found.

“They only tried one option and it failed,” El Aachouche said.

The containers not only cause darkness for the residents whose windows and balconies are now blocked by the massive tower, but also nuisance.

“There are reports of burglary attempts, drug use and people using the space behind the containers as a toilet,” said El Aachouche.

“The residents signalled this to authorities, who only responded with: ‘File a complaint with the police.’”

The residents are considering appeals, according to El Aachouche: “I tried diplomatic ways at the beginning, but to no avail. We are considering further steps. This is an unhealthy situation and the city administration does not seem to understand it.”

Alderman Nevruz Unal (PS), in charge of town planning, said she had great sympathy for the situation of the local residents and regrets that the alternative location was not possible, stressing that the contractor did not apply to the municipality but to the region for a permit to place the containers where they are.

The affected residents and organisations have been invited to Ixelles town hall over the next week for a meeting with the mayor and the department in charge of the case, among others.