New bridge, farm and redesigned park for Brussels' canal district

The Schuman roundabout is not the only part of Brussels getting a makeover, with the redevelopment of Brussels' canal district under way, including a new-look Place Sainctelette, a new petting farm and renovated Maximilien Park also planned.

The Place Sainctelette redevelopment reached a new milestone this weekend with the installation of a new bridge.

The bridge has been installed on the northern part of the square between Place de l'Yser and Avenue du Port. The southern bridge will be widened at a later stage.

“With this new bridge, we are not only solving a major traffic bottleneck in Brussels, but we are also creating a public space on a human scale where trams, cyclists and pedestrians will have dedicated areas,” said mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt.

“This is another step towards a safer, more liveable and user-friendly city for all.”

The bridge, which is 37 metres long and weighs 95 tonnes, arrived on Friday via the canal and was installed on Saturday morning.

The official opening of the northern part of the square to the public will take place in December 2025 and the redevelopment work on Place Sainctelette is scheduled to continue until mid-2027.

At the same time, a short distance away, efforts to redevelop Maximilien Park are under way, despite the pausing of a project to open up the Senne river due to a lack of funds.

Brussels-City is moving forward with the moving of the children's farm and a budget of €7 million was approved, while the initial plan called for €20 million to tackle the Senne and to give the surrounding green areas a makeover.

Decisions on whether the remaining funds will be disbursed will only be made by the next, fully-fledged Brussels government.

In the meantime, the new petting farm will come to fruition and the redevelopment of the park - where a tent camp for transit migrants stood years ago - will also go ahead.

“We hope to find a contractor this year and start work next year,” said Anaïs Maes (Vooruit.brussels), spokesperson for the alderman for urban development.

The new location of the petting zoo will be more accessible than the current site, which is somewhat hidden. The animal enclosures will also be improved.

“With this move, we are not only creating a pleasant place for people and animals, but also a new centre for education about the environment and ecology,” said urban planning alderman Frederik Ceulemans (Open VLD).

“This is an important step in the transformation of the North District into a vibrant and sustainable neighbourhood where living, working and socialising come together.”