As announced last week, a private investor aims to create a vast complex in Junglinster, being a shopping centre, a business centre, and a leisure centre at once.
Amongst other things, the complex will include a hotel, a childcare centre, and a fitness studio. Expected to open at the end of 2021, the project has the full support of the municipality. RTL journalist Carine Lemmer spoke about the project with Junglinster's mayor, Romain Reitz.
Junglinster is a municipality in the throes of development, mayor Romain Reitz stated. The land due to become the complex already belongs to an investor based in Heisdorf. He added that the centre will not just be shops and offices, but also host Luxembourg's first leisure centre. Reitz pointed out that at the current time, Luxembourgers must go across the border to find such leisure centres, but soon they will only have to go as far as Junglinster to find a complex bringing together bowling, laser tag, a trampoline park, an escape room, an indoor climbing wall, and an outdoor tree park.
Reitz highlighted that the novelty would benefit the municipality and the local area. Globally, the municipal authorities support the project and will endeavour to ensure it is processed quickly, although Reitz admitted that 2021 is an ambitious deadline. The partial development plan (PAP) still needs to be examined by national authorities and this is likely to take some time. Once completed, the site will be able to receive approval to build and launch the construction site.
The complex will also see the creation of 300 jobs, which in turn will lead to additional traffic to and from Junglinster. The municipality is working with the roads and bridges authority on tackling any potential issues and will carry out a study. The project also envisions the creation of several new roads: one behind the fire station with a new exit, and a new route linking the complex to the Laangwiss shopping centre. The exit towards Rue de Rodenbourg should hopefully provide some relief to Junglinster in terms of traffic.
As a result, there should be four entrances to the complex and three exists. There will also be between 800 and 900 parking spots built for both visitors and employees, especially given the fact that the existing activity zone lacks parking spaces.
is such a new complex truly necessary? This viewpoint, alongside the doubt that Junglinster is in need of such a massive complex, has been shared by some, including RTL Today journalist Martin Jonnson.
Martin Jonsson: While other countries move away from shopping centres, we build more - but why?In defence, Reitz pointed out that the municipality has always planned to expand the activity zone and claimed there have been more positive reactions than negative ones. He highlighted that such a project will be beneficial to the municipality and its finances.
At the present stage, the focus is on getting the PAP approved in order to work towards an opening date two years from now.
Hotel, shops, escape room, and more: Enormous leisure centre could be built in Junglinster
