2023-12-23 06:00:00
Place du Miroir, in Jette, as the end-of-year holidays approach. ©Ro.Ma.Large line in front of Cortoos, in Jette. ©Ro.Ma.
When we talk to a few traders, one observation comes up: “the square was more vibrant before the work,” notes Isabelle from Wine in the City, who has been on the square for 18 years. “It was ugly, but practical,” says Céline, a hairdresser who has also been active for 18 years.
Céline, hairdresser at Place du Miroir, in Jette. ©Ro.Ma.
Everyone remembers the major redevelopment works of the past decade: “We suffered for three years. Then there was covid,” says Isabelle. If the work on the square is now a bad memory, another project is disrupting the daily life of the Jettoise esplanade: the titanic redevelopment of rue Léon Théodor, which will last until 2024 and is currently preventing tram 19 from circulating in the area. heart of Jette. “This tram was an advertisement. A lot of people take it.” “Since the start of this project, there has been no activity here,” notes Nivar at the counter of a jewelry store on Place du Miroir.
“A disaster”, “days when I make 30€”…: rue Léon Theodor, Jettois traders lose hope in the face of the endless construction site (PHOTOS)
Festivities at Place Cardinal Mercier going poorly at Le Miroir
In the center of the Place du Miroir, a sparsely decorated fir tree takes pride of place. A few meters away, a luminous star. Insufficient decorations, in the eyes of some. “You can barely see the lights when they are on,” laments a saleswoman. “It’s sad, everything is gray. We need to brighten it all up,” laments Isabelle. “It lacks illumination. Even Laeken is livelier,” notes Yusuf, jeweler. “Before, there was an ice rink for the holidays: it brought a lot of people. There was a real festive spirit.”
©Ro.Ma. ©Ro.Ma.
The installation of the Christmas market at Place Cardinal Mercier remains in the throat of some people. “They abandoned the Place du Miroir,” sighs Yusuf, who is preparing to close his second store following “having lost a lot of money”.
Yusuf and Nivar, in their jewelry store, Place du Miroir. ©Ro.Ma.
More broadly, the disappearance of “quality businesses” in the center of Jette makes one sigh, as does the closure of the emblematic Le Miroir brasserie. “There are no longer any nice boutiques setting up,” laments Isabelle. Opinions shared by customers in the long queue of the De Wolf poultry company. “I have been coming here for 25 years. When there are good businesses, people are attached and come back,” smiles Jettoise Chantal. “But it was better before in terms of offers. A good vegetable dish, for example, is missing.” “There’s also a lack of beautiful clothing stores,” adds Bernadette de Ganshoren. “Fortunately there is the market. Without it, I don’t know how I would do my shopping.”
Chantal, customer of poultry merchant De Wolf for 25 years. ©Ro.Ma.
Rents too high, deplores the alderman
For alderman Benoît Gosselin (Les Engagés), these questions are intrinsically linked to the excessively high rents demanded by the (private) owners of the buildings on Place du Miroir.
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”The rents requested are not in line with the reality of turnover. This does not encourage the arrival of small businesses,” deplores the representative, who recalls the little room for maneuver of municipalities in the face of private owners. “There’s not much we can do regarding that. We try to make contact, to find solutions. But if anyone has a miracle formula, give it to us.”
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Concerning criticism of the lack of illumination and dynamism, the alderman defends the choices of the majority: “The Place du Miroir is not abandoned. We launch the illuminations there, there is the market… I remind you that the illuminations in Jette cost €90,000. And it’s not just the Place du Miroir. We made the choice to distribute it across the entire municipality.”
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