“We must preserve social diversity everywhere in Esch-sur-Alzette", says mayor

After a fire swept through the "Benu Village" development in Esch-sur-Alzette, the council took the decision to mark the site for demolition. New mayor Christian Weis told RTL that many stakeholders were interested in the location, but he was unable to provide further details about the site's future, simply commenting that the fire was under control and an investigation is ongoing.

First, Weis says, it is necessary to go over the site with the liquidator to see what the possibilities are for the "Benu Village" location. "I can imagine several projects there, but it will be necessary to manage them all differently," he explains. "We cannot afford to invest millions into a project which ultimately will not work as planned again. We can't do that to taxpayers a second time."

The "Benu Village" is situated away from the heart of Esch-sur-Alzette, but since work began on the Rout Lëns district, officials now see the site as a useful link to the city centre. Esch itself has a number of expansive real estate projects in the works in order to render Luxembourg's second largest city more attractive. 360 social housing units have already been built, 60 of which are undergoing renovation, while a further 299 social housing units are planned for construction in the Rout Lëns district.

"We absolutely must preserve social diversity in all these neighbourhoods. The municipal council is striving to distribute houses and flats to those in need, despite inflation and rising interest rates. Over the coming years we expect to double the number of housing units managed by the council," the mayor explained. The municipal department in charge of managing council properties is also set to be enlarged, focusing on a centralisation of administrative procedures.

Weis also pointed out that the city's main shopping area on Rue de l'Alzette is suffering the same fate as many other cities, with empty storefronts and closed-down shops. "We can't consider this street as a purely commercial artery any longer, shoppers' behaviour has changed. It must become a place for living together as a community and meeting people," he concluded.