The seven-year old joint venture aims to develop and ensure the sustainability of ten former steel industry sites in South Luxembourg, including among others the Rodange foundry site, the Lentille Terre Rouge sits as well as the Ehlerange, Mondercange and Differdange slag dumps. The whole covers around 650 hectares, among which 140 hectares located in France.

However, Agora's major project remains the planning and realisation of the Belval-Ouest site. “For more than 100 hundred years the space in Belval was closed to the public and completely dedicated to industrial activity; we came to the conclusion that it makes sense in a small country like Luxembourg to do something with this land,” the chairperson explains.

Hence the Belval development pole – which was designed and planned by the Maastricht architectural firm Jo Coenen & Co. – includes five districts: Terrasse des Hauts-Fourneaux (blast furnace terrace), the Square Mile, Belval Nord, Belval Sud and Parc Belval. “It is important to change the image of South Luxembourg and to put it through the services sector,” Emile Reuter says.

Multifaceted project

Indeed, the economic, social and demographic potential of the region is significant; its twelve communes comprises 140,000 inhabitants, a third of Luxembourg's population. “This multifaceted project represents an alternative to Luxembourg City, a development concept based on service and knowledge, as well as a transeuropean project in the spirit of sustainable development on the long term,” Etienne Reuter argues. The whole activity pole will host 20,000 occupants and 5, 000 inhabitants.

Concretely, beside the Rockhal (which opened in 2005) and Dexia's new administrative headquarters (operational since 2006), current priority projects include the campus of University of Luxembourg (with a 8,000-person capacity dedicated to studies, research and administration expected to move by 2010), a start up centre (2008), the Lycée technique Belval-Ouest (2010), the national Archives (2012), public administration building and services facilities (2011).

Belval Plaza 1 (a 900 m2-leisure centre, with 9,800m2 housing and 7,300 m2 office facilities, to be open in 2008) as well as Belval Plaza 2 (a 14,000 m2-retail centre, with 18,000 m2 housing and 1,500 m2 office facilities, to be operational by 2009), a 8,000 m2 hotel (2010) as well as the construction of 250 houses and apartments (2008) are the major private projects on Agora's list.

Parc Belval, the nature link between the districts, will offer 33 hectares of water and green space.: The 2 km long green band, which accounts for 30% of the total site area, will provide a vast space for interaction, relaxation, leisure and communication for all users, occupants and residents of Belval.

“The Belval concept of reusing the land is a full challenge, which integrates historical elements, combines the past location with the future infrastructure and offers a mix of functions and all means of access. The innovative approach is undoubtedly a lighthouse project for Luxembourg,” Etienne Reuter concluded.

Created in 1996 the Steel Tripartite – including the State, ARBED and trade union organisations – initiated a study of the economic and social development potential regarding the former industrial sites. Following the decision on May 31st, 2000, of Minister Michel Wolter to give priority to the Belval-Ouest site, Agora was founded in October of same year, together with the Fonds Belval, a public body in charge of the state's real estate investments on the site.

Founded in 1997 in Stockholm and established since 2002 in Luxembourg, Nobelux is a bilateral Chamber of Commerce between the Nordic countries and the markets of Belgium and Luxembourg. The organisation provides business Services as well as a meeting and networking platform to Belux companies investing in the Nordic markets and vice versa.