This site would be amazing...🤩

[ClaudiaPr]

Earlier this week, while I was reading about the European Parliament corruption scandal, I came across an article speaking about the prison of St Gilles being closed down in 2024. And then I clicked through to another article talking about the future plans for the site of the prison and that the Brussels Region may plan to open up the site to residential living. It directly caught my attention as the site is super well located, 5 walking minutes from parc de Forest, in a lively residential neighbourhood with public transport and all.

The site is quite big – apparently 6 hectares – so a lot can be done with it and part of it will enjoy special protection. According to the article, a feasibility study has already been carried out showing that “the main buildings are suitable to be converted into housing and facilities, while also respecting the heritage”. It got me thinking whether The Reef could perhaps somehow fit in there and become a small part of what will be a huge project.

This may be a long shot – due to financial reasons or because the authorities may already have other plans for the site. But on the other hand, cooperations between communes and co-housing projects are not unprecedented and they may see some added value in our co-housing project for the site. While it may not be possible to buy a plot of land there, perhaps a 99-year lease model could work.

So far, I have only found these two articles talking about the future plans for the site:

Brussels prepares future of Saint-Gilles prison: large part protected

https://www.lesoir.be/467985/article/2022-09-28/la-prison-de-saint-gilles-un-espace-qui-ne-demande-qua-etre-libere (actually I don’t have access to the full article as it is for subscribers only)

Maybe it’s a crazy idea, but I think it could be worth trying to reach out (to the commune, or region – not sure) early next year to present our project and see what their plans are.

And if not, this can at least serve as inspiration to be on the lookout for other opportunities.

[alberto]

The space is indeed great! But very high profile. It comes with a high risk of neighborhood committees against this or that, and all eyes on the Commune when it approves the project. So there is that.

[RalfWetzel]

let’s just buy the damn thing as one.

[Lee]

I like the idea, and we can of course always talk to the authorities, but I’m afraid the timing is not right for The Reef. If I read the article well it will only be at the end of 2024 that the last prisoners will be moving, so I’m afraid that this is going to be a very long-term project.

[ClaudiaPr]

If I understand it correctly, you think there could be too much public scrutiny and attention for any projects being carried out on that site?

[ClaudiaPr]

Ahh I hadn’t thought the timing would be a problem as I had expected the process with the Reef to take quite long as well. When do you envisage construction for the Reef could start?

[alberto]

That’s a possibility, based on the story of Vosberg. Money quote:

@alberto

Two years after the purchase, the group still needs two permits from the commune: first, the decision to change the zoning of the building from habitat communaitaire (like a monastery) to habitat groupé. And second, the permis de bâtir. In the best case scenario, it will take another three years for the project to be finished (so five after buying the site).

Whole post:

What we learned at Vosberg

This week @Lee and I visited Vosberg, a cohousing project still in the making. In this post I want to make a note of what I think we learned. It is part of a series of topic threads grouped under the tag cohousing-knowledge, which include reports from the visit to several other cohousings (Brutopia, De Okelaar, Earthsong, L’Échappée) and from interviews to other projects we have not physically visited (like La Montagne). Vosberg is a cohousing project in Wezembeek-Oppem, outside of the 19 commu…