For years, this strategically placed site has suffered many setbacks: urgent interventions to stabilize buildings in poor condition, squat, a corpse was found there and it is suspected that it was there that they were “thrown into the water” some bodies found further down the river. Latest setback: the refusal of the River Towers, two 27-storey buildings refused by the delegated official and the minister in charge.
What will become of this site? A “masterplan”, a new watchword in Charleroi which uses this type of large-scale plan which envisages an entire district rather than one or another targeted project, is in progress. This is indicated by Paul Magnette, the mayor of Charleroi, in response to his running mate Maxime Hardy. “The site owner commissioned a design office to work on a master plan for the entire area. Over the past 6 months, this office has organized four workshops, bringing together around the table the owner of course, the mayor’s office, the municipal administration (urban planning), Charleroi Bouwmeester and the delegated official of the Walloon Region. Various avenues are being analyzed in order to deal with this important entrance to the city in the best possible way”.
It’s vague, but at least we know that the idea of a retraining is not dead and buried. Until the next episode, anyway.
