As part of the redevelopment of the Abattoir site in the municipality of Anderlecht, the Brussels-Capital Region will start building affordable public housing along the canal.
"Today, we are defining the city of tomorrow and it is clear that the quality of life of all inhabitants of Brussels is central to this project," Brussels State Secretary for Urban Development Pascal Smet stated in a press release.
The site of what once was a slaughterhouse in Anderlecht has in recent years been known for its huge market selling fresh produce, butchered meat and varied merchandise. Soon, the Manufakture project – a building for meat processing plants – will be added, and eventually the site will also have an open-air swimming pool on the roof.
"The Slaughterhouse site will be a future-oriented and mixed urban district, where it will be good to live, work, learn and relax. We are proving this by focusing on high-quality, affordable housing and high-quality facilities, such as an open-air swimming pool with a magnificent view of the city," Pascal Smet added.
With a surface area of 8 hectares – the slaughterhouse site occupies an important place in the Region because of its history, location and size. It is also strategically well located, as it is near two metro stations, the canal and near the Brussels South Station.
'Building public housing'
The Abattoir PLC remains the owner of part of the site on which the Foodmetis, among other things, is located. The municipality of Anderlecht still owns the other part of the site, but will soon transfer its land to the regional level (Society for Urban Development).
Its long lease on part of the regional property will also be extended until 2088, but will relinquish a strip located along the canal so that it can become the full property of the Region. The intention is to open up the site and make it more accessible to the people of Brussels and give it a more socially-minded purpose by building public housing.
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"With the renewal of the long lease, the conditions are finally in place for Abattoir to start the construction of the Manufakture," said Elke Tiebout, the CEO of Abattoir. "Additionally, plans are already in place to link the various economic activities and homes through an innovative heat network, and to evolve into a CO2-free site in the short term."
