Second-hand car garages in Heyvaert neighborhood will not be relocated
While the Brussels authorities had planned to relocate the terminal of cargo of second-hand cars from Heyvaert to the port of Brussels, the project has been cancelled.
“It’s the most important urban failure over this mandate,” Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven (MR), the Brussels MP told DH, when he was asked to comment on this.
The idea was to set up new projects for the Heyvaert neighbourhood (both in Anderlecht and Molenbeek), which has been hosting the terminal of second-hand cars, which are supposed to go to Antwerp and to Africa, by relocating this activity in a Ro-Ro terminal in the port of Brussels. This change would also make the transfers from Brussels to Antwerp easier.
This is why a third call for proposals had been launched recently. But no investor had submitted any project, and the port of Brussels decided to let the project down.
“It is completely irresponsible from both an economic and urban perspective,” Mr. Van Goidsenhoven added. He added that the trade of second-hand cars will definitely suffer from this failure of the project over the upcoming years, as well as it surely bars any initiative in Heryvaert, which is often presented as a dirty and bad neighbourhood.
“The port of Brussels is disappointed about the ways this issue has turned out. Several efforts have been conducted in order to make this project concrete, as it lied within a strategic interest both to the Port and to the Region and the communes involved […],” the port of Brussels commented.
The issue consists of two parts. About 25% of garages have indeed closed down over the past years, ahead of this Ro-Ro project in the port. And flats have been built in those areas instead.
On the other side, both Anderlecht and Molenbeek had views on the future of Heyvaert. They should definitely update their plans by taking into account the fact that the terminal for second-hand cars will remain active for the upcoming years, which should have an impact on the economic and social activities in the area.
“We need to gather all the communes involved, the second-hand car sellers and the Port of Brussels, in order to work on all the alternative solutions,” Van Goidsenhoven concluded.
