Halle (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): This summer, Halle’s city council started a project to add climbing plants on Basiliekstraat shops. Many shop owners didn’t agree, but work began anyway. The mayor paused the project for better communication after complaints.
This summer, the city council of Halle, led by the board of aldermen, worked on making the busy shopping street, Basiliekstraat, greener. They planned to put climbing plants on the walls of the shops. Shop owners were asked if they wanted the plants, and if they didn’t reply, it was taken as a “yes,” so the plants would be added automatically. This way, they hoped to get more shops involved and add greenery to the area without any delays.
Will Halle’s greening project succeed amid shop owner backlash?
The city planned to make planting areas along the walls of the shops, and a professional gardening company would take care of them. By hiring this company, the city ensured the new green spaces would be well-maintained, improving the street’s look and environmental quality. This project is part of a larger effort to make Halle’s city environment more appealing and sustainable.
The city of Halle informed the shop owners on Basiliekstraat about a greening project by sending them a letter. They asked for permission to add climbing plants to the walls of their shops. The city used a method where if the shop owners didn’t reply, it meant they agreed to the plants. Many shop owners who said no to the climbing plants thought this would also stop the city from putting planting areas along their walls, but that wasn’t the case. The city didn’t need permission for those areas, so even if the shop owners refused the climbing plants, the city could still install and maintain the ground-level planting areas as part of the greening project.
City workers surprised everyone by showing up on 25th September Tuesday with machines to dig, even though some shop owners had said they didn’t want any plants. One shop owner got really angry because the workers just started digging without talking to him first. Many complaints went to city hall, so the mayor decided to stop the work. He said they didn’t mean to cause such a problem and closed the holes at three shops. The mayor also admitted that the communication wasn’t clear and said they would discuss it at the meeting on 27th September.
