Réiserbann

At the Municipal Council meeting of 23 March, agreements with STEP and the Club Aktiv “Eist Heem” were among the items on the agenda. As always, we also dealt with temporary traffic regulations, budget adjustments and personnel matters.

For several other agenda items, we would like to provide some further explanations:

1.02 Written Question from The Greens to the Board of Aldermen on Quality of Life and Community Cohesion in Roeser

The Roeser neighbourhood is facing a challenge. For many years, the municipality was allowed to use a privately owned plot of land to provide a playground and a pavilion as a meeting place for local residents. The owners now need the land for their own purposes. This is, of course, their right, and we fully understand that.

However, for Roeser, this means that from June onwards there will be no public space where residents can meet and where children can play.

What we do not understand is why the Board of Aldermen immediately states that there is no suitable municipal land available in Roeser without seriously examining alternative options. The Greens see a realistic alternative. The plot owned by the church fabric, located directly opposite the current playground, would be ideal.

The Board of Aldermen could acquire this land and, with sufficient political will and priority, develop a small park with a playground.

For Roeser, which consists mainly of residential housing, apartment buildings and a few agricultural businesses, such a meeting place is not simply a “nice-to-have”; it is essential.

The Board of Aldermen should take responsibility and seek a solution that preserves and even improves residents’ quality of life and social cohesion. The children and residents of Roeser also have the right to a space where they can develop, interact and come together.

The Greens are committed to ensuring that a sustainable solution is found.

2.21, 2.22 Property Transactions

The school campus in Berchem remains an important issue. As many of you know, the construction project has, to the frustration of everyone involved, been subject to significant delays and cost overruns.

It has also become clear that the campus was designed with insufficient capacity. The Greens repeatedly pointed out from the outset that the schoolyard does not meet the needs of children, as it consists largely of a vast sealed and non-landscaped area.

Last summer, a child suffered heatstroke there, dramatically illustrating the problems caused by heat accumulation and the lack of shaded areas.

Another major concern is that the school and the Maison Relais are housed in the same building. As a result, many children do not spend enough time outdoors in the fresh air.

The Board of Aldermen has now acquired a large neighbouring plot with an orchard through a property exchange and has additionally purchased a farmhouse on Rue de Bettembourg.

We voted in favour of these two items on the agenda because The Greens now see an opportunity to allow schoolchildren to spend part of their time outside the campus’s brick walls and benefit from a natural and healthy outdoor environment.

This could create a vibrant green school area that promotes physical activity, recreation and healthy development while also strengthening biodiversity in the centre of Berchem.

The Greens see this as a genuine added value for the community.