Uncertain future for La Cambre summer pop-up bar after opposition

A bustling summer pop-up bar in the grounds of the Abbaye de la Cambre has had to shut down earlier than hoped, with no guarantee that it will return next year, following complaints from locals.

Guinguette Gisèle had received an urban planning permit for a period limited to three months and only for this year, while the request had also covered the following two years.

This came after a public inquiry last summer, which saw around 100 critics of the pop-up bar come forward, citing the risk of noise pollution, dirt and the incongruity of such a bar on a site with a religious vocation.

The Flagey cultural centre, which organises some sound recordings in the abbey, and the "Friends of the Ponds" neighbourhood committee were among the complainants.

Gisèle will have to close this Saturday (4 September), while the other summer guinguettes in Brussels' parks are allowed to stay open until 26 September.

Ixelles alderman for town planning Yves Rouyet said there were mixed opinions within the local council about the guinguette's presence in the abbey grounds.

The bar's operator, François de Villers, said there had been no noise pollution complaints this summer and the guinguette had been a success with customers.