Has an impact study been carried out for the Péitruss? Does one, before it is 'renatured', not have to remove any dirt and poison from the soil, which remains from the time when a gasworks used to operate there? Why announce a horticultural show to be held in 3 years when one then has to rush to finish the land restoration? Will we get another eternal construction site here?
These are some of the questions people who like to visit the Péitruss ask. Opportunities to get answers to said questions have been rare so far, but on Monday members of the municipal council will have another opportunity to have their questions answers prior to the Péitruss-vote. Monique Kater of RTL Radio is worried about a valley which is about to undergo major changes:
Audio in Luxembourgish
''Coming from Switzerland I was shocked the first time I saw it. I have to be honest. I said, is it even possible to make anything this ugly.'' Our Swiss friend is perhaps exaggerating slightly — the Péitruss is not that ugly, despite the concrete girdle. Somehow even that look is a patrimony, or at least for those who have known the valley from 1933 onward. However, as member of the advisory environment commission the man from Switzerland knows something about water and he has told us more in the last week than we have found out in the previous months together.
''It will be similar to the way it was 100 ago. The vegetation will be closer to the origin. That way fruit trees will be planted and we will have low- and high-growing trees.''
In the last few months criticism that people were not told anything or not anything true arose regularly. Even though politicians state the opposite, something is not right. One way or the other there was not enough information and one can make up the rest. Like this Saarlander who regularly goes for walks in the valley: ''I have seen a lot of orange dots and am slightly worried what will happen next. In the end one has to wonder whether they will tear down the park completely, so people can only start fully reusing it again in 30-40 years' time or whether they will carefully start constructing something in between.''
This sums up what worries people from the city. Lately, a lot of trees have been removed, from avenues, rocks or now the Péitruss, what is in the way simply has to go. Nobody says what will be removed this time and no one wants to count the orange dots once they have seen how many there are. But the Péitruss project now lies at the feet of the mayor, who promises to protect the valley and the trees.
The municipal council seems to believe this, and considers the land restoration to be a good idea and thinks that the old will make room for the new and tidy. However, the park by the 3 Eechelen shows that this can go horribly wrong.
On July 5th a meeting with Lydie Polfer and citizens from Hollerich took place and citizens from the Grund are to be updated in the following days.
Earlier publications - videos in Luxembourgish
