The Wunne mat der Wooltz project will consist of seven districts that will be built in stages. In accordance with the concept liewen, wunnen, schaffen (“live, reside, work”), the project will also include a primary school, a sports centre, offices, shops, and restaurants.
The Wunne mat der Wooltz project has been in the works for the past 13 years. The lengthy planning phase is due to the fact that the area is a former industrial site, which means that the soil is still polluted in some places. This issue must be addressed first.
“The first phase consists of cleaning up the site. Some of the land will be excavated and cleaned up so that people can move in,” Jacques Vandivinit, director of the Housing Fund, explains. As with all wastelands, Vandivinit adds, there are places that were so heavily polluted that they will not be used for housing but rather for a car park, for example.
In a first phase, a budget of more than €260 million has been earmarked for the project but the cost could reach half a billion euros in the medium term. Minister for Housing Henri Kox stressed the importance of investing in the creation of affordable public housing.
“That’s why I’m very proud to have been present at this ground-breaking ceremony because we need these flats, " the Minister said, reiterating that people coming to live here “will have to pay less than is currently the case on the private market.”
These new neighbourhoods will also be self-sufficient, thanks to the use of solar power and heat pumps. The primary school, which will be located right next to the Wiltz railway station, is already under construction. It is scheduled to open by the end of the summer of 2023.
