There are no Natura 2000 sites or nature reserves in the vicinity of the project. The nearest area of interest is the “Vallée du Vogelzangbeek” nature reserve, located more than 1,000 meters to the northwest.
The future stadium will absolutely not be located within the park area that includes, in particular, the Bempt ponds.
The project has been entirely designed to limit and offset the impacts of construction:
In total, 37 trees will be preserved and 30 will be relocated. 237 will have to be felled. The trees to be removed will be more than compensated for by the planting of 239 new large specimens.
Two additional vegetation layers will also be planted on densely planted embankments, consisting of shrubs and 2,860 forest plants.
The competent authorities have furthermore confirmed that there is scientific certainty that this felling will not harm the species identified in the Bempt area.
Boulevard de la Deuxième Armée Britannique will remain open to traffic before and during games. Given the large number of fans leaving the stadium after games, the boulevard will be closed to traffic for a short period after the game (30 to 60 minutes) for safety reasons.
The temporary post-match closure applies to the section between the intersections with Boulevard de l’Humanité and Square des Menhirs.
Since the 20 to 25 matches per year are held mainly on weekends or, less frequently, in the late evening, they do not coincide with peak traffic hours.
Furthermore, a large majority of fans—around 70%—will travel to the stadium by means other than car. This proportion is based on simulations conducted in the mobility study carried out by certified experts, the conclusions of which have been validated by regional public institutions.
In addition to on-site parking for officials, team and staff buses, and visiting fans, the industrial nature of the area offers a very large off-street capacity that will be utilized on game days. The identified capacity (2,940 available spaces) far exceeds the demand estimated by the match-day mobility study (2,100 spaces). The identified capacity—based solely on agreements in principle that have already been approved—is consistently greater than the identified needs, regardless of the match scenario.
A 150-space covered parking garage is planned, primarily for officials and match delegations. This is one of the project’s major environmental strengths: the low number of parking spaces built for a new stadium project. It is significantly lower than in the vast majority of other projects of this type.
The stadium is easily accessible by bike, particularly via the dedicated bike path on Boulevard de la Deuxième Armée Britannique.
A permanent bike parking lot with 120 spaces is planned. On match days, this will be supplemented by 2,072 temporary bike and scooter parking spaces. All bike parking spaces will be secure and will also accommodate family bikes.
Union will collaborate with public transit agencies (primarily the STIB, but also the SNCB) to further enhance their appeal on match days. A memorandum of understanding has already been signed with the STIB to ensure that relevant lines operate at maximum capacity before and after matches.
Key tram lines are all located near the new stadium: the 4 (Gare du Nord – Stalle), the 82 (Gare de Berchem – Drogenbos), and the 97 (Louise – Dieweg), as well as the Forest-Midi and Forest-Est stations.
The mobility strategy for the new stadium strongly prioritizes active modes of transportation (cycling, walking) and public transit.
No, not at all! The Forest Steam Train takes passengers through the eastern and southern parts of Bempt. The new stadium will be located in the northwestern part. Our hope is that the stadium and the Steam Train will coexist in perfect harmony.
Note that the Forest Steam Train runs from late April to early October. Part of this period coincides with the RUSG’s off-season. There are no matches between late May and late July.
