Liz Newmark

Brussels

Journalist at Freelance

Freelance journalist passionate about Brussels, cycling and patrimoine.

Articles

Preparatory work begins on redesign of Saint-Gilles Barrière

1 week ago | thebulletin.be | Liz Newmark

Brussels water company Vivaqua has begun preparatory work ahead of a full redesign of one of the capital’s most dangerous junctions – the Barrière roundabout in Saint-Gilles. Redevelopment and reconstruction of the busy roundabout – the intersection of the Avenue du Parc, Chaussée d’Alsemberg, Chaussée de Waterloo, Rue de l’Hôtel des Monnaies, Rue Paul Dejaer and Rue Théodore Verhaegen – has been on the agenda for at least three years.
Magritte Museum to be powered by solar panels

1 week ago | thebulletin.be | Liz Newmark

Brussels’ Magritte Museum, one of the capital’s flagship museums on the Mont des Arts, is being equipped with almost 170 photovoltaic panels on its roof. The Régie des Bâtiments (Federal Buildings Agency) project that started in mid-April is expected to finish in the coming days. The installation will save more than 10 tonnes of CO² per year.
Brussels hotels innovate to attract more visitors to city

1 week ago | thebulletin.be | Liz Newmark

Brussels is attracting more tourists to its 180 hotels, with a rise in short-stay leisure tourism offsetting a fall in business travellers, which is still lower than the number seen before the Covid pandemic. But according to the Brussels Hotel Association, there is still room for improvement. "We have an occupancy rate of 72%, but this could improve further in the next few years," said BHA secretary-general Rodolphe Van Weyenbergh.
Cambio tests cars with child seats in Brussels

1 week ago | thebulletin.be | Liz Newmark

Belgium’s car sharing scheme Cambio will soon be testing shared cars with child seats in Brussels to support families in the capital and respond to their mobility needs. Research by the organisation working for parental rights, De Gezinsbond - La Ligue des Familles being the French-speaking equivalent - shows that many families do not rent a shared car because it does not have a child seat. Parents have to bring that essential equipment themselves, which often causes a problem.
Put metro line 3 on hold until Brussels' finances improve, says federal minister

2 weeks ago | thebulletin.be | Liz Newmark

Plans to build metro line 3, upgrading an existing tram line and extending it to Schaerbeek and Evere, should be delayed until the Brussels region's budget is in a healthier state, according to the Belgian federal minister overseeing the project. "If you have budget problems, you have to make choices," said Bernard Quintin, the minister responsible for Beliris, the federal building authority in Brussels. It is no secret that costs for Metro Line 3 are rising fast.
No chance to watch Brussels' peregrine falcon nests this year

2 weeks ago | thebulletin.be | Liz Newmark

The chance to watch livestreams of peregrine falcons breeding in nests at Brussels’ cathedral, the church of Saint Job in Uccle and the ULB university campus will not be possible this year via due to “administrative” issues, the project’s creator has announced. The three webcams at these locations, normally streamed at www.fauconspourtous.be, recorded thousands of people tuning in from all over the world to see the birds in the breeding season – April and May.
Filigranes moves into Mayfair department store

2 weeks ago | thebulletin.be | Liz Newmark

Brussels’ flagship bookshop Filigranes has moved to Mayfair – not London – but the grand building formerly home of BMW and now housing the Mayfair concept store, at Boulevard de Waterloo 25, just under a kilometre away from its old Avenue des Arts location near Arts-Loi metro. This means that the formerly cramped store is benefiting from more space to house some 150,000 books on four floors of the current department store. It will take up about 1,200m² of the 3,500m² building.
Broadcaster RTBF plans 12% budget cut by 2028

2 weeks ago | thebulletin.be | Liz Newmark

French-speaking radio and television service RTBF is aiming to make a total of €132 million in cost savings between now and 2028, cutting its annual budget by 12% by 2028 or €55 million per year, under a plan approved by its board of directors. This budget decrease will be achieved by €4.1 million in additional annual revenue and €22 million in cost reductions each year through “optimisation, efficiency measures and targeted editorial adjustments”.
Quarter of a million Belgians are second-jobbers

3 weeks ago | thebulletin.be | Liz Newmark

One in 20 workers in Belgium has two jobs - or more - according to the latest figures from Statbel, Belgium’s statistics office. Some 5.5% of workers in Belgium combined multiple jobs last year, corresponding to 279,000 people, a slight increase over the 2023 figures, with almost equal numbers of men and women. “It is mainly the 25-49 age group and those with a high level of education who have a second job,” the statistics office said.
Student accommodation fees climb due to lack of supply

1 month ago | thebulletin.be | Liz Newmark

Monthly rents for students have risen by an average of €100 over the past five years, according to newly published analysis by Kotkompas – a tool developed to comment on the student housing market. According to the research, the average student rent in shared accommodation in Belgium is €575 including charges. For a studio, the price rises to €780 per month on average. Unsurprisingly, the most expensive town to stay away from home in Belgium is the capital, where rents average €680 per month.