Regional intermunicipal company Leiedal and urban developer Ciril have today unveiled plans for a new multifunctional urban project in the centre of Kortrijk. The site, covering approximately 3,000 m², is located near the Grote Markt, between Rijselsestraat and Graanmarkt. The project smartly integrates housing, business and other urban functions. The permit application has just been submitted. If all goes according to plan, construction will start in spring 2027.
Smart and sustainable urban development
The project area comprises several adjacent properties in Rijselsestraat and Jan Persijnstraat, acquired by Leiedal since 2019 and forming a coherent whole. These include the Textielhuis, the rear (listed) rococo garden wing of the former Hôtel Aux Armes de France, and the corner building K-orner.
The design provides space for 54 apartments and an underground car park with 75 parking spaces. In total, the development consists of seven buildings, including six commercial units and one office building. The compact layout allows for a shared inner garden, which will be publicly accessible during the day. The garden will feature native flora and fauna, as well as permeable paving to allow rainwater to infiltrate gradually.
A pedestrian connection will link Jan Persijnstraat to the Grote Markt. Heating will be sustainably provided through geothermal energy.
On the right-hand side of Jan Persijnstraat towards Graanmarkt, four buildings will be constructed above the underground parking, including a gateway to the inner garden, the renovated Blijdehuis, and the passage to the Grote Markt. The ground floors will accommodate commercial spaces, entrance halls and bicycle storage. A corner building will complete this block.
On the Rijselsestraat side, a corner building will house apartments, a commercial unit and an additional access to the inner garden via the Poorthuis. Leiedal and Ciril attach great importance to heritage, which is why the project combines new construction with renovation. The Textielhuis and the garden wing will be restored and given an office function. The former Winter Garden will also be reinstated.
Strengthening the urban core and mixed-use development
Leiedal has long been committed to strengthening urban cores and promoting mixed-use development, ensuring vibrant and liveable city centres. The intermunicipal organisation supports cities and municipalities not only in policy-making but also through on-the-ground projects, such as this public-private partnership in Kortrijk.
Filip Vanhaverbeke, Managing Director of Leiedal, explains:
“Private developers often focus on residential programmes in inner-city projects. Substantive and strategic guidance from public authorities is not always easy. That is why Leiedal takes on the coordinating role in this large-scale urban project. Drawing on our experience in public project development, we focus on integrating living and working.”
Alderman for Spatial Planning Hannelore Vanhoenacker praises the approach:
“Leiedal and Ciril approached the site as a whole from an urban development perspective, resulting in a project that offers more than the sum of its parts. A green and (semi-)public outdoor space is a major added value, as are biodiversity, sustainable land use, renewable energy, circular building principles, respect for heritage and maximum preservation of existing green structures.”
Leiedal chairman Wout Maddens adds:
“Leiedal identifies and seizes opportunities. By strategically acquiring land and buildings and redeveloping them through a PPP model into a qualitative mix of living, working and recreation in the city centre, Leiedal not only enhances the neighbourhood but also stimulates urban vitality. The connection with the redevelopment of the ING site also creates an attractive link to the Grote Markt, which is a significant added value.”
Urban developer Ciril, part of the Democo Group, has more than thirty years of experience in urban development and large-scale PPP projects.
“Here in Kortrijk as well, we are committed to a future-oriented development that strengthens the city in the long term,” says Sebastian Blommaert of Ciril.
“We create added value to prepare cities for tomorrow, based on quality, sustainability and transparency. Leiedal shares these principles. This common vision brought us together a year ago and led to this public-private partnership. Since then, we have worked intensively on shaping this strategic site into an attractive and liveable mix of housing, work and recreation.”
In September 2023, Leiedal gave Bolwerk the opportunity to temporarily organise its public activities in the Textielhuis pending the project. The historic building has since become a hub for various communities of makers, artists, game developers and more. They will remain active there until construction begins.
Timeline
Once permits are obtained, the sales of phase 1 (Graanmarkt side) will start this autumn. Construction will begin in spring 2027. In 2027, sales and construction of phase 2 (Rijselsestraat side) will follow. The first phase is expected to be completed by autumn 2029 and the second phase by 2031.
