Schuman to be redesigned with new pedestrian zone

The Schuman roundabout in Brussels will be partly pedestrianised from 2017, in a €7.6m project that aims to reduce traffic around the heart of the EU district.

The Brussels government has approved a plan and will launch a public tender to redesign the busy junction, with a pedestrian zone through the middle stretching from the under-construction Europa building on Rue de la Loi to the Parc du Cinquantenaire.

The city centre-bound route from Avenue de Cortenbergh to Rue de la Loi will remain open. Vehicles heading up Rue Froissart will only be able to turn right on to Avenue d'Auderghem.

The road from Schuman to the Parc du Cinquantenaire will be fully pedestrianised, and some bus lines will need to be rerouted.

Brussels region mobility minister Pascal Smet said: "It's one of the most filmed places in Europe. Redeveloping the area is a priority. It must become a place where Europeans and Bruxellois mix - and not a place where the car is king. It must become as welcoming as Place Lux on a Thursday night."

A plan to redevelop the Schuman roundabout was floated last year. An architect was selected from an international competition but the project fell through.