Molenbeek residents plant trees in protest against building project

Molenbeek residents have planted trees and bushes on a construction site by the canal in protest against the construction of a large apartment block.

The residents formed a small, anonymous action group to coordinate the protest planting, Bruzz reports.

The construction site is located along the canal, where permission was granted to build an apartment complex, much to the displeasure of local residents, who through the planting of greenery aimed to show that things could be done differently.

“These sites often become dumping grounds,” the protestors said.

“To prevent that, we want to do something positive. Nature was already slowly taking over the site, and we are lending a hand by planting bushes and trees.”

The group is trying various ways to draw attention to their cause. It organised a "beach" party on the wharf last August, when the site was filled with sand.

The protestors, aware of the housing crisis in Brussels, said that they were not opposed to adding additional living space but rather the way in which it is slated to be done.

“They’ve demolished an old industrial building [the former Depot Design] to make way for a luxury housing project. That project is not intended for the people who live here now, but for a new audience,” the group said.

“We would have preferred social housing or a public project. We expressed our objections in the urban development committee, but the project was approved anyway.”

The construction work has been temporarily halted, partly due to the consequences of the pandemic and the condition of the quay, which is in poor condition with its banks in danger of collapsing, completely blocking car traffic in the street.

“It’s unclear how long the work on the quay will take – it could take another two years before construction can even begin here,” the residents said, noting that the space would remain empty and abandoned in the meantime if it were not for their tree-planting activism.

“We expect the project to go ahead eventually, but until that happens, we want to show that it can be done differently. We hope that the delay will make the developer reconsider whether it’s still financially feasible, but we realise that the chances of that are slim.”

The group plans to continue protest actions in the meantime, including hosting a larger-scale planting event at the construction site in April.