Parckfarm in Brussels to become permanent

Parckfarm, a citizen-led initiative that saw a park with animals and communal spaces popping up on what was previously wasteland in Molenbeek, will become a permanent fixture. A committee in Molenbeek’s city council has advised the city to approve a permit for the property.

Parckfarm, attached to the Tour & Taxis site in Brussels, includes a greenhouse, vegetable garden, wood-fired oven and chicken run. When it was put together in 2014, it was meant to be temporary. But the success of the initiative in bringing people from the community together has been considered invaluable.

The park was the idea of local people who were responding to a call from Parckdesign, a biennial urban planning programme. The site attracted much interest in the neighbourhood, with residents clearing rubbish, bringing in chickens, beehives and even sheep. They organised events in the greenhouse, which doubles as a meeting place (pictured) and around the massive communal table.

The temporary permit for the project was extended for a year, and now Molenbeek councillor Olivier Mahy said that the council intended to follow the advice of the committee and approve a permanent permit. “Over the last two years, Parckfarm has become extremely important to people using the park and to local associations that use the greenhouse,” he said.

During a public consultation round, the local council received 65 letters and nearly 1,500 signatures in favour of maintaining the project.

Photo courtesy Parckfarm T&T