Leuven (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): A water leak in Leuven’s Parisstraat caused street instability impacting businesses like café Metafoor. Repairs may take four months leaving owners uncertain about financial support and future income.
Last Thursday on 1st August there was a big water leak in Parijsstraat in Leuven after some flooding. The leak caused a lot of damage making a big part of the street unstable because the water spread underneath it. To keep everyone safe the authorities closed off that part of the street. Cafés and restaurants there can’t put out their outdoor seating and people can only walk through the affected area. Pieter De Coninck from café Metafoor is worried that this problem might last for months. The street being unstable and needing repairs could cause big issues for businesses and people living there for a long time.
How will Leuven’s Parisstraat businesses cope with lengthy sewer repairs?
Pieter De Coninck mentioned that it will take about four months to fix the sewer. This long time without the street will probably make his café lose a lot of money especially because they make a lot of their summer income from outdoor seating. With fewer people passing by due to the repairs it could really hurt how much money they make during this important time of the year. Pieter De Coninck mentioned that they might get some help with money from insurance and a lower tax for their outdoor seating from the city. He and his team don’t know how to handle the money problems in the next few months. The uncertainty about how much help they’ll get makes it even harder to figure out how to deal with this long period of trouble.
Alderman Dirk Vansina (CD&V) said that the problem started because a water pipe managed by De Watergroep burst. They’ve already cleaned up the sewer from a lot of soil that got in because of the burst pipe. Now they need to hire a contractor to start fixing the damage together with De Watergroep. Vansina mentioned that they’re not sure when the repair work will start. They are trying to deal with the problem quickly but there’s no fixed date yet for when the repairs will begin. This uncertainty makes it even harder for the businesses and people in the area who are dealing with the disruption.
Geleyns wants the outside dining areas to open up fast. They plan to make the terraces safe first before doing the big sewer repairs which will take a long time. They can’t start the major sewer works now when the weather is good for restaurants. They hope to decide on this soon.
