2023-12-15 10:11:00
The project of the Liège group Ardent Real Estate provokes an outcry on rue de Neufchâteau, in Bastogne. Residents present at the information meeting last June regret that their comments have not yet been taken into account.
The first part of this ambitious real estate project concerns, as a reminder, the construction of a four-star hotel with 83 rooms at number 32 rue de Neufchâteau, near the ING building. This establishment would aim to attract tourists but also business customers. The second part consists of building a residence with around thirty apartments, rue d’Assenois.
“This hotel, 30 meters high, with seven floors, would be, in our street, a punch in the eye, underlines the spokesperson for the opponents. It would be 12 meters longer than the existing tree. This construction will also lead to the disappearance of a park where lime trees and beeches were planted more than a hundred years ago. Fourteen remarkable trees will be felled. The planned new plantings and green roofs will not compensate for the loss of this invaluable natural heritage.”
Opponents are also offended by the destruction of one of the oldest mansions on the street. “Number 32 once housed the Lejeune distillery. This building must be preserved and not destroyed to erect a new impersonal building like those that exist everywhere. What will be left of Bastogne, in 50 years, if all the old houses disappear one following the other?”asks a resident.
The lack of parking is also highlighted. “ Our street has four restaurants, recalls a local resident. The number of parking lots is currently not sufficient. If this 83-room hotel opens its doors, the two underground parking lots will not be enough. Customers will try to park on rue de Neufchâteau and the situation will get even worse.”
Local residents recall that during the project presentation meeting, they had already raised the problem of parking lots and the disappearance of greenery in the heart of the city. “ We consulted the file at city hall, as part of the public inquiry, and did not note that the initial project had been modified. It is still disproportionate and unsuitable for the location.” According to the spokesperson for the opponents, this project is unanimously opposed to it, rue de Neufchâteau. The residents don’t want it because it is disproportionate.
For his part, the mayor of Bastogne, Benoît Lutgen, recalls that the college demanded that the developer present his project to the population even though this meeting was not obligatory. “ This meeting allowed the promoter to collect various requests for improvement of the project, coming from the municipality but also from certain local residents. Now the public inquiry is underway. The services will analyze the various comments as soon as the investigation is completed. The college will then submit an opinion and the file will be sent to town planning in Arlon.”
The public inquiry closes this Monday.
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