Brussels aims to create more multi-faith cemeteries

The City of Brussels is considering establishing a multi-faith cemetery with room for almost 7,000 graves at the Hoogveld site in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe in order to meet the demand for such burial places. 

Approximately 3.5 hectares of the site is owned by the Brussels CPAS social welfare centre, despite not being within the Brussels-City territory. In the past, this undeveloped land served as pasture for cows. 

If combined with a 1.5-hectare plot currently still in the hands of a private owner, there would be enough space to meet the demand for burial plots for the next 15 years, just as existing multi-faith cemeteries are reaching capacity.

But Berchem-Sainte-Agathe’s mayor, Christian Lamouline (Les Engagés), is opposed to the plan and said that about two-thirds of the site is situated within a designated green space.

“No building is permitted there, so certainly not a cemetery,” Lamouline told Sudinfo. “The municipality will defend its green zones.”

Lamouline is also concerned about transport and parking facilities should the plans go ahead, and would prefer to see an urban agriculture project in its place. 

“We’ve been working on that for years,” said Lamouline.

Expanding the capacity of multi-faith cemeteries is a priority for Brussels minister for religious affairs Ahmed Laaouej (PS), who convened a taskforce in April to tackle the shortage of plots, following persistent reports of a lack of cemetery space.

Laaouej recently presented the results of a call for projects he launched this summer to create additional plots. A total of 14 projects were submitted by the Brussels municipalities for 16,300 plots, including the above-mentioned project by the City of Brussels.

“This mobilisation demonstrates the scale of the need and the commitment of the municipalities to developing new burial capacity, while respecting everyone’s beliefs and funeral rites,” Laaouej said. 

“Due to the overcrowding of multi-denominational cemeteries, it was important that we took concrete measures in the short term. The success of this call for proposals proves that the Brussels municipalities are strongly committed to this.”

The projects were submitted by the City of Brussels (accounting for 43% of the total number of new plots) and 13 other Brussels municipalities, namely Ganshoren, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Koekelberg, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Schaerbeek, Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht, Forest, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Etterbeek, Ixelles and Watermaal-Bosvoorde.

Funding for the projects will be submitted to the Brussels government by the end of the year. 

With the creation of 16,300 new burial plots per the bids, Brussels would meet the legal deadline set in the Ordinance on Cemeteries and Burial Services.