WHAT ABOUT WEZEMBEEK-OPPEM?
Number of inhabitants per year in our municipality Wezembeek-Oppem
Are environmental planning and public works a priority for the majority in our municipality?
THE FACTS
Our municipality is a densely populated one:
Wezembeek-Oppem has about 14,742 inhabitants, 2,128 inhabitants per km², which is very high compared to Flanders (560 inhabitants/km²).
In our municipality, the majority (70.6%) of the land has already been built on, mainly with homes (90%). Only 1.8% was spent on economic activities. So there is a big imbalance here.
We score remarkably low when it comes to recreational areas, parks, forests and orchards. As a result, we have less greenery (12.5%) than the average in Flanders (23.9%).
More and more residents (48%) believe that there are insufficient play areas for children and that there are sufficient relaxation areas for growing youth (only 34%).
More and more buildings are being built at heights (21.8% apartments), creating a greater need for more public green spaces.
In short, Wezembeek-Oppem is increasingly evolving into an urban municipality. The number of multi-family homes is increasing, which means that there is less and less private outdoor space and the need for communal green outdoor spaces is increasing.
But are our residents satisfied with this?
The share of residents who are satisfied with the greenery and green facilities in our municipality is decreasing.
We must take action to make our municipality greener and more livable to live in. So there is clearly work to be done.
WHAT DOES WOPLUS STAND FOR?
WOplus stands for a clear and transparent Environmental planning that creates a balance between homes, businesses and recreational space.
We want to create more publicly accessible green areas, so that you don’t have to go to other municipalities for outdoor relaxation.
The higher population density simply means that there is a greater need for meeting places: sufficient play facilities for smaller children and suitable relaxation areas for growing youth. But there is also a need for rest areas and meeting places for everyone, young and old. For we should not lose sight of the latter population either.
Supporting their associations that support such meetings helps to promote contacts and combat loneliness. The need for this has clearly emerged from our survey among residents. The recreational zone on Sportpleinstraat can provide a perfect solution for this.
By sufficient play facilities we mean smaller playgrounds per neighborhood that can bring the people of such a neighbourhood, parents and their little ones together. We also want to support local youth clubs in a more targeted way and provide recreational areas where the older youth can relax in a meaningful way, which then helps to reduce other forms of nuisance. In this way we want to help the development of the basis for a child-friendly municipality.
We also don’t want to miss opportunities that fit within a sound spatial planning policy. Therefore, we will better map and maintain transit and slow roads.
Finally, we want to draw up a green space plan to maintain our green spaces, including parks, and prune overhanging branches or bushes that can cause hindrance to pedestrians. And we want better management of pedestrian and pedestrian crossings to make it pleasant to move around on foot.
WOplus also commits to planting one tree every year and for every 200 residents. In this way we support the greening of our municipality and create efficient shaded areas for all residents.
The current coalition has thus already missed out on opportunities that would nevertheless fit in with a sound spatial planning policy. For instance, it has not bought a thoroughfare on the Grensstraat, putting several users of a private thoroughfare at risk of not being able to cycle easily between Tervuren and Brussels in the future. And so there are other examples to be mentioned. It’s a pity that opportunities remain like this.
Let’s work together towards a sensibly managed land use plan in Wezembeek-Oppem. Your needs come first. Vote for a sound land use plan. Vote for progress. Vote for a stronger, better managed Wezembeek-Oppem. Vote WOplus.