26/01/2023
𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧
Leefmilieu Brussel/Bruxelles Environnement has reviewed its decision to close the club and allows Fuse to reopen with the condition that the club has to move from its current location within two years, together with other very restrictive conditions, that don’t correspond with what we had proposed and that we thought that was accepted during our discussions with them.
The music levels during the first and last hour now even have to be reduced to levels lower than the 95dB(A) from their initial decision with the result that we can only play at acceptable levels during a few hours in the middle of the night.
We will try to operate with these levels but we are afraid that we will have to close again because it won’t be possible to work with these levels. It is also no longer allowed to have special weekends with 3 nights, and neither to occasionally open later than 7:00, which were main attractive element for tourists to come to Brussels.
Fuse has been saved from immediate closure. However, the club, its many visitors, artists, and employees remain in uncertainty as the threat to Fuse in particular and club culture in Brussels at large still persists.
The Brussels By Night Federation launched a petition to support Fuse, which garnered an overwhelming 65,000 signatures. The message was clear: club culture should be recognized as authentic culture, and one person buying an adjacent house 17 years after the existence of the club should not have the power to put their own interests ahead of those of many thousands of others. Almost half a century of an iconic site dedicated to festivities is now threatened with extinction. A long-term strategy to protect, embed, and implement nightlife in our capital city is urgently needed to ensure the survival of Fuse at Rue Blaes and club culture in Brussels. If not, Fuse might only be the first of many other Brussels clubs to close its doors.
In light of this, we wish to bring attention to the latest meeting of the Brussels Night Council, which suggests a roadmap to working towards a healthier climate for nightclubs. This includes implementing the « agent of change » principle and recognising clubs as cultural institutions, among other measures. We call again on the competent authorities to take swift and determined action to protect our beloved clubbing scene and urge the Brussels government to act and create the necessary adjustments to the laws.
We want to express our biggest gratitude to all who have shown their support for our cause. Your efforts keep us going and make our scene so unique.
