Meeting of 7 November 2024

Main points

• Citizen participation meeting of 19 September 2024: survey of residents, Cleanliness Ambassadors
• Grants: €100 towards street cleaning with the Bal'Evere; 2024-2025 grants requested
• The neighbourhood's strengths and weaknesses according to participants
• Questions to the municipality: secondary school, derelict site on Chaussée de Louvain, bus 80, Avenue Mommaerts
• The coordinators' mandate ends on 1 January 2025: call for successors

Translation of the French minutes. Only the French version (PDF above) is official.

Venue: Espace Moreau · Time: 7.05 pm – 9.45 pm

Foreword

The council representative explains why this meeting is taking place so late in the year: apart from the meeting of the Advisory Council for Citizen Participation, little information was passed on, despite good cooperation with the Sustainable Development department. With no major points to discuss, and to avoid pointless discussions, the council preferred to wait until after the elections to resume contact, while keeping in touch with residents by email.

Agenda

Approval of the minutes of 4 June 2024 and “Outstanding questions” file

As the file has not changed since June, it was not sent to members again; it is appended to the original minutes.

“Citizen participation” meeting of 19 September 2024

European Local Democracy Week: a project, awaiting approval, aims to prepare the next neighbourhood councils. Questions that will be put to the public: do you live in Evere? why do you come to the municipality (I live here, I have family here, I work here…)? which neighbourhood do you go to? what do you like most, least, what is missing in your neighbourhood? if you had a magic wand, what improvements would you make?

Cleanliness Ambassadors: the municipality intends to promote this idea. Businesses, schools, associations and residents can become ambassadors: they commit to keeping a street or neighbourhood they have adopted clean, on municipal public land (to be followed up).

Grants

At the meeting of 19 September, the council agreed to contribute €100 towards the Bal'Evere's costs for cleaning the streets of Haut-Evere. At official ceremonies, the three neighbourhood councils jointly lay a wreath on behalf of the municipality's residents. The 2024-2025 grants were requested on 15 October. These grants can be used for any improvement in the neighbourhood that benefits all its residents.

Open questions: Médiapark

Some local residents signed up for an information session on Médiapark on 2 November.

Discussion with participants

Haut-Evere's strengths

• Participants live here because it is close to Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and to their workplace.

• The area around Place Paduwa (towards Woluwe) is appreciated for its calm and its courteous residents.

• Many activities are on offer, especially for children, provided you follow the right media.

• A responsive mayor (but do you always have to go through him to get results?).

Weaknesses

• Antisocial behaviour; pavements in poor condition and too narrow on some roads.

• Little variety of shops on Chaussée de Louvain (chip shops, snack bars, few specialist shops).

• Streets regularly dirty after collection: why not provide public bins for local residents?

• Slow responses, or no follow-up at all, when problems are reported to the municipality (likewise for Fix My Street).

• No cultural activities in Haut-Evere, and no public library or branch, unlike what TOOTS or Entrela offer. A small craft market, which might attract more people in a more central location.

• Anarchic parking, double parking, dangerous use of e-scooters; lack of responsiveness from the police.

Questions and ideas

• Given the new buildings and the growing population, is a new secondary school planned?

• What is the status of the redevelopment of the Saint-Josse-ten-Noode stadium?

• What is the status of the “derelict site” on Chaussée de Louvain? What type of building is planned, and for what use?

• Will the vehicle inspection centre on Rue Colonel Bourg disappear?

• Given the supermarkets on Avenue Mommaerts and Chaussée de Louvain, can STIB be asked for a stop on bus line 80?

• Redesign of Avenue Mommaerts, which is regularly blocked by delivery lorries.

• Recycling centre closed: providing containers four times a year is a plus, but why not more often?

• Cleanliness: a partnership with the municipality's schools to raise parents' awareness through their children?

• A participant is finalising a renewable energy community project which, according to an estimate, would save users 30% on their bills. Anyone interested can get more information from the initiator (details passed on to members).

Haut-Evere Neighbourhood Council

Under the rules (chapter 3, art. 9), the mandate of the council's representatives expires on 1 January of the year following the municipal elections. The coordinators are therefore stepping down and, as of today, making way for anyone who wishes to get involved on behalf of Haut-Evere's residents and take over from 1 January 2025.

Closing

The council thanks the seven participants for their interest in the future of the neighbourhood and regrets the low turnout of registered members. The meeting closes at 9.45 pm. Next meeting: date to be confirmed, depending on the installation of the new municipal executive, the appointment of the alderman in charge and the information provided by the municipality.

Council meetings are open to anyone who wants to bring the neighbourhood to life and help people live well together.

Public version of the minutes: names and contact details of private individuals, attendance lists, email exchanges, appendices and the “agenda” sections of the original version are not reproduced.

Attendance

Two council coordinators and seven Haut-Evere residents.

Meeting minutes