Vilvoorde (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In Vilvoorde’s Broek neighbourhood, residents, led by Laetitia Mascaux, fear redevelopment could remove the Loodstuin garden and nearby warehouse. Alderman Laure Scheerlinck says plans are still being drafted; 131 signed a petition.
As VRT News reported, in Vilvoorde, concern is growing over the future of the Loodstuin and the nearby warehouse in the Broek neighbourhood. The Loodstuin is a green space near the viaduct.
Officials mentioned that families and neighbours often meet here. The space has become an important place for the community. Residents are worried that changes to the site could affect its character and make it less accessible.
What threatens Vilvoorde’s Loodstuin garden and warehouse by 2026?
Former mayor Hans Bonte (Vooruit) promised the vegetable garden and park would stay, and the warehouse would be renovated. Many locals, including Laetitia Mascaux, thought this was a fair plan. Now, recent signals show that plans may be changing. Residents fear that the promises to protect the Loodstuin may not be kept.
“Suddenly, a new plan appears where everything would disappear by 2026: the warehouse, the garden, and even parts of the park,”
Lascaux reacts.
In order to save the Loodstuin, residents have launched a petition to highlight its significance. 131 individuals have signed it. Mascaux adds that the garden does not just serve as green space; it serves to connect various parts of the neighbourhood and provide chances for individuals to interact and collaborate.
“As for concrete plans, it’s still a bit early,”
says Alderman for Neighbourhood Contracts Laure Scheerlinck (Open VLD-CD&V).
“The development plans for this zone are currently still being drafted and will only be submitted to the municipal executive in a later phase.”
Even with these moves, however, some residents fear that it is already too late and that plans for the garden’s future have already been decided. Uncertainty has seen the community on high alert and committed to keeping the Loodstuin open as a safe, welcoming, and vibrant space, even if Vilvoorde keeps developing and evolving.
“This is our little piece of nature in the neighbourhood. If the Loodstuin disappears, we will lose the heart of our community,”
concludes Laetitia Mascaux.
The Loodstuin in Vilvoorde’s Broek neighbourhood was created in 2017. It is a community garden made by the city, residents, and SAAMO Vlaams-Brabant. The garden has a flower meadow, play hills, a tree trunk course, and a vegetable patch where people can grow food together. It was built to give neighbours a place to meet, play, and learn about nature.
