Belgium/Third phase in the revitalization of Andenne town center coming soon
At this Tuesday evening's municipal council meeting in Andenne, two compromises for the sale of shares in municipal land were approved. The last apartments in the new downtown district are finding buyers. Two hundred homes and businesses have been built over the past few years as part of the project to revitalize the town center. Phase III is due to start shortly.
From the Place des Limes, where the town hall is located, you can see the Lighthouse, a former school from the 1930s restored by two prestigious architects, which now houses the Library, the Tourist Office and the Espace Muséal d'Andenne (EMA).
The Bear Walk, between two rows of apartment buildings with ground-floor shops, links the two sites. Claude Eerdekens explains: "Before, there was a row of houses in the place of the breakthrough, including the general bank right in the middle of the bowling al ley. The center now has a new look, it's more fluid, and commerce is more dynamic than in 2008". An observation confirmed by several retailers.
When the project began in 2008, the city acquired the buildings it wished to demolish. The public tender was launched, and a consortium of builders won the contract, then carried out the demolition and construction work. "We didn't sell the land we owned. We used the technique of renunciation of a right of accession. This means that we make the land available, the company builds the buildings and when they are sold at the notary's office, the city sells the share of land to the buyer and the developer sells what he has built on the communal land. This technique means that we don't need to raise funds for land acquisition, and as we go along, based on an indexation key, we receive a substantial capital sum over time".
Phase II of the downtown revitalization project, which began in 2008, is nearing completion. What remains is Phase III, which should link the Phare (near the soccer pitch) to rue Frère Orban.
Time for phase III of the project
The developers tell us: "The plans will be submitted this year. Normally, the permit should be granted, since we're in a development plan, and if the plans correspond to what the Minister accepted at the time, the permit is automatic. Then we'll have to build the site, which will take around 18 months".
Around sixty new homes are expected to be built in Phase III of the downtown revitalization project. "In terms of size, they'll be similar, but the architecture may vary. It's even to be hoped that this will be adapted to modernity, because since 2008, architectural designs and building insulation have progressed so we should do even better than we did at the start."
The 3d view of this last part of the district should be available around October.
Source: www.rtbf.be
