The "Um Kuebebierg" development, situated near the RTL building in Kirchberg, is to become a new district made up of 3,000 homes, 70% of which will be affordable housing.
Press were invited to a first visit on Tuesday as the groundbreaking ceremony took place, presided over by representatives from the Kirchberg Fund, the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works, and Luxembourg City council.
Although work has not yet begun on the development, which will house up to 7,500 people, Tuesday's event consisted of a Luxembourgish "safari", with mini buses touring the former agricultural fields. Among the wildlife spotted were the crows which gave the development its name.
The district, which was still ploughed by farmers until recently, will be a compromise between the need for further housing, and environmental protection measures.
Among the assembled guests were mobility committee president Fernand Etgen, city mayor Lydie Polfer, city aldermen Corinne Cahen and Maurice Bauer, and mobility and public works minister Yuriko Backes, who told journalists the development was a "mega project" which would form an architectural link between nature and infrastructure.
On Tuesday morning, the assembled politicians took the opportunity to pick up a shovel and help plant one of 130 trees on a site designated as an "urban farm". Although this area will not contain farm animals, it shows the project's foundations around nature.
Next, guests observed the drilling in progress, which will aim to supply heat to the development through geothermal energy.
As for the development's pricing, Marc Widong, director of the Kirchberg Fund, said that 30% of the housing would be affordable housing run by the housing ministry, while 40% would be supplied by the Fund. The remaining 30% will be put on the free market.
Mayor Lydie Polfer said she hoped the special development plan (PAP) would be passed by the municipal council at the end of the year or in early 2025. She said she did not anticipate any issues or complaints, as has been the case with other developments, as in this case the land belongs exclusively to the Kirchberg Fund and will remain so in the long-term thanks to a long lease.
