Meeting of the municipal council of 9 December 2019

Questions by Joël Delvaux

The population of Luxembourg City is growing rapidly. The City has adopted a policy in favour of strong demographic growth but, in our view, this policy is overly ambitious and ultimately unsustainable. There are increasing numbers of people living in accommodation without access to a garden.
This growth policy has major environmental and social consequences. In a recent report, the European Commission highlighted poor air quality in Luxembourg City.
Gardening not only promotes physical and mental well-being, it also helps people to reduce their reliance on food products from supermarkets. Thus, gardening contributes to a degree of food autonomy, promotes short food supply chains and is environmentally friendly. In addition, if bio/organic criteria are respected, it helps to encourage biodiversity. Gardening also has an educational aspect and, when undertaken as a community, strengthens social ties and the feeling of belonging to a community, i.e. social cohesion.
I would therefore like to put the following questions to the college of aldermen:

• What is the City of Luxembourg's policy on public gardens?
• How many community gardens does it currently manage?
• What types of community gardens exist in Luxembourg City?
• How many people are on the waiting list for an allotment (in each city district)?
• How does the City of Luxembourg plan to cater for this demand?
• Does the City of Luxembourg intend to create more community gardens, and if so, where and on which land?
• Which plots are available for community gardens?
• When planning new residential projects, does the City of Luxembourg typically include plans for community gardens?

Response from Patrick Goldschmidt

Alderman Goldschmidt replied that there are four types of gardens in Luxembourg City:

• Municipal gardens: these are garden plots intended for individual use and are usually located behind housing developments; there are several gardens of this type throughout Luxembourg City;
• Public gardens: these are the municipal parks;
• Community gardens: these are gardens that are tended and managed by a group of residents (between 10 and 30 people) living in the area where the garden is located. They are run in accordance with environmental criteria, on the basis of rules of procedure established by the City of Luxembourg;
• Allotment gardens: these are individual-use plots that are grouped together across a site – known as a cité jardinière – and managed by an association that is a member of the Ligue du Coin de Terre et du Foyer (Luxembourg Land and Home League).

At present, the City manages five community gardens, in Bonnevoie, Ville Haute-Gare, Limpertsberg, Pfaffenthal and the Grund.

Regarding the number of people on the waiting list: since the waiting list for each city district is fairly exhaustive, it has been proposed that the table listing the requests from the various city districts be made available to all three interested parties. Currently, there are 261 pending requests for municipal garden plots, 208 for community gardens, and 151 for allotments.

The waiting time for community gardens is less than three years. In view of the eco-friendly criteria, people who wish to take part in the scheme must live in the area so as to avoid motorised transport across the city. There are also other community garden projects in the pipeline, notably in the Merl-Belair district where potential plots are currently being surveyed. The results will soon be presented to the college of aldermen, and the project is likely to be launched in 2020.
Other requests from residents in Gasperich, Hamm and Pulvermühle are being assessed. If a sufficient number of people are interested, applicants will be asked to suggest an association that could take on the role of managing the site, such as a local interest group.
There are currently no plans to include community gardens in new residential projects, as the accommodation will be built on privately-owned plots, whereas community gardens are intended for use by all residents in a given neighbourhood.

Question from Tom Krieps

Last Friday, a large crack running a significant length appeared in the floor of the Saint Alphonse church (located on the corner of Rue Beaumont).
Following an inspection, the church was closed to the public.
I would therefore be grateful if you could answer the following questions:

• Given that this church is municipal property, shouldn't the City be financing the repairs to the building?
• Is the building under threat of ruin?

Response from Lydie Polfer

The Mayor and Chair responded that the church does not belong to the City, and therefore it is not the responsibility of the municipal administration to repair it.

Question from Héloïse Bock

The outdoor gyms at the Gare and Grund ends of the Pétrusse Valley and in Kaltreis Park, Laval Park and Kockelscheuer have been a great success. They are appreciated both by local residents and by people who work nearby (and even further away), who use them during their lunch break to get a little exercise.
As there is a wide range of equipment available, users can tailor the intensity of their workouts to suit their needs. Signs have been erected with instructions on how to use the different items of equipment correctly, and information on which body parts they target.
Merl Park is being used by an ever-growing number of people, especially since the restaurant has been completely renovated and the project to install trampolines over the summer has been set up. The park is near many secondary schools, which bring together thousands of school children.
In light of the foregoing and in accordance with article 9 of the municipal council's internal rules and regulations, I would like to ask the following questions:

• Is the college of aldermen prepared to consider installing outdoor gym equipment in Merl Park?
• If so, could the various options be put forward in a meeting with the relevant committees?
• Would it be possible to complete the installation for spring 2020?

Response from Serge Wilmes

Alderman Wilmes replied that no public consultations have yet been held concerning the redevelopment of Merl Park. On the other hand, the multi-annual plan makes provision for the installation of a multi-purpose children's playground. The plan will be put to the college of aldermen in 2020, and a public meeting will be held in due course.

Generally speaking, the City does not have a fixed policy regarding the installation of open-air fitness equipment. Often, equipment is installed in locations that are also suitable for other open-air activities, such as jogging or Nordic walking, as is the case in Laval Park and Kaltreis Park. Nonetheless, the idea of installing outdoor gym equipment in Merl Park could certainly be examined in the wider context of the park's redevelopment.

Question from Elisabeth Margue

I would like to follow up with respect to the creation of an artificial beach on Place du Théâtre, and the creation of a gathering and leisure area in the very heart of the city, as part of enhancing the appeal of the City of Luxembourg's public spaces.
As such, I would like to put the following questions to the college of aldermen:

• What is the City of Luxembourg's assessment of the initiative to create an artificial beach in the city centre?
• Does the City of Luxembourg have any other projects to enhance public spaces in the pipeline, notably where Place du Théâtre or other public squares are concerned?
• In this context, is the City of Luxembourg planning to hold a public consultation?
• Has the City of Luxembourg been invited by the government to help reshape national initiatives aimed at enhancing the appeal of the city's public spaces?

Response from Serge Wilmes

Alderman Wilmes replied that the betterment of public spaces is one of the college of aldermen's priorities. One example of this is the creation of the new Service Espace public, fêtes et marchés (Department of Public Spaces, Festivals and Markets).
With respect to the artificial beach on Place du Théâtre, known as "Theaterplage", feedback from users has been extremely positive. The artificial beach has been especially popular with families with children. A "Poppentheaterplatz" (puppet theatre) has been open since 7 December 2019, with shows every Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday to bring life to Place du Théâtre during the end-of-year season and the winter months. This strategy is known as "place making" or "place management", and involves the revitalisation and upgrade of public spaces. It is a town planning method that involves hosting certain types of events in other public spaces around the city.
Pending the completion of redevelopment works at Place du Théâtre, which will still be some time in coming since the works cannot be completed until the car park has been renovated, the situation should be considered as temporary. Public consultations will be held in the event of a permanent development project, as was the case for Place de Paris, Place Joseph Thorn and Spidolsgaart (Pfaffenthal). There are already several ideas in the pipeline for enhancing the appeal of other public spaces, including Place des Bains and certain spaces in the Gare district.
There is also a project to publish a website cataloguing all past and future projects, and to encourage people to get involved on the ground.

With regard to the existence of national initiatives for enhancing the appeal of public spaces within the city, the municipal administration is working with the state authorities on a project involving Place de la Constitution, which is state property and used by the City. A development project for Place de la Constitution is currently in the study phase.

In addition, the City has been included in a public-space improvement project initiated by the Fonds d'Urbanisation et d'Aménagement du Plateau du Kirchberg. It is encouraging to note that there is definitely a desire to improve quality of life in public spaces.

Question from Tom Krieps

I would like to ask a question regarding the elevator linking the railway bridge with the "Gare Rocade" bus stop.
This stop is destined to play an increasingly important role for a number of additional bus lines during the tram-line construction works at the train station.
However, the elevator is out of service, and has been for quite some time. Persons with reduced mobility and people with suitcases/pushchairs are therefore forced to climb the stairs or use the elevator on the other side of the street, until that one breaks down as well. The railway bridge seems to have an adverse effect on the elevators linking it to street level. Thus, my question is:

• When can we expect to have a working elevator?

Response from Simone Beissel

Alderwoman Beissel replied that the elevator in question has been back in operation since 21 November 2019, and that the repair work had taken a considerable amount of time due to the takeover of the company Luxlift by the multinational Kone. Given how frequently the elevator is used, a more powerful motor has been installed, with solid traction cables.