2023-08-23 16:00:00
Rarely has a back-to-school period been so busy in Charleroi, where the inauguration of the campus, Feder projects and renovated public spaces in the upper town coincides with the Fêtes de Wallonie. Returning from Italy where he spent part of his vacation, the mayor returned to municipal politics.
Paul Magnette, did you take time off?
”I went to northern Italy where we traveled a lot by train, between Padua and Verona, then to Turin. On vacation, municipalists are always on the lookout for good ideas to bring back. But what works elsewhere does not necessarily work here.”
Do you have an example?
”The underground containers of Tibi, the results are not up to expectations.”
The inauguration of the upper town and the end of the works in Charleroi are coming soon! “The new face of the top of our city”
Where are the projects you are carrying out in your various skills?
“Everything is progressing well in urban development. We are inaugurating the Charleroi Métropole campus on September 8th. A student district will emerge in the heart of our city. At this stage, permits have been issued for the creation of 350 kots in the Eldorado building at the Montagne pedestrian area, in a former Forem building on avenue des Alliés and rue Mignolet in Montignies-sur-Sambre. Eventually, we expect 10,000 students, there will already be 2,500 to 3,000 during this academic year.”
Will it change the sociology of the neighborhood?
“It is not the goal. This is to promote social diversity, without chasing the people who live there. Seeing children playing on the Place du Manège is a spectacle that is really pleasing. A multi-operator campus like the one that will take off in a few weeks before continuing to evolve with the UCLouvain and HelHa project, then the Roullier center of the Cité des Métiers, is a first. It mixes study streams, technical and vocational secondary with social advancement and masters. We must now provide the neighborhood with places of conviviality. Not everything should be taken care of by the public sector, we are counting on the support of the private sector.”
Will the future Grand Palais soon come into operation?
“The hope is that a concessionaire will be appointed early next year to start operations in 2024. Site visits are currently being organized for prospective bidders.”
Welcome to the future Grand Palais, in Charleroi (VIDEO)
What transformations are still awaiting the lower town?
“Work on the esplanade of the central station is coming to an end, a park will be set up there, it will begin that of the former steel wasteland of the Porte Ouest over several hectares. The sowing will start and in October, the plantations will follow. We also have the remodeling of the A6K/E6K, where permit applications will be submitted in the coming days with the intention of starting work in 2024.”
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