Press Release - Paperjam: Lionstone to work on the “Leo” special development plan in Bettembourg

Published on 13.03.2025 - It is in Bettembourg that Lionstone will shortly be working on a new special development plan (PAP), enabling the construction of new housing, a retirement home and offices, with an innovative heating system linked to the data centre.

“Leo” is the name of the new special development plan (PAP, or plan d'aménagement particulier) that Lionstone is developing in Bettembourg, on a site of around 4 hectares, in the continuity of the Cité du Soleil. This will be next to the Wolser business park and close to the new economic zone being developed by the local authority. This new district will combine housing--single-family homes or residences--a retirement home, local shops, office space and green spaces.

The PAP was approved by the local council in October 2024, then by the interior ministry in January 2025. The first houses and buildings are due to be delivered in 2027. Ultimately, the new neighbourhood could be home to 500 residents.

The land covers an area of around four hectares.

A mixed-use project

For this PAP, 21 single-family homes with gardens and individual garages are planned north of the plot. To the south, on the other side of the green belt, there are seven residences with underground car parks, creating 89 flats. “In addition to this residential part, the municipality was keen to have a residence for the elderly, so we introduced this into the programme,” explains Lionstone co-founder Steve Vermeer, who was present at the Mipim trade fair in Cannes.

This project will include several hundred medicalised rooms and flats, ranging from supervised accommodation for independent people to medicalised rooms for the most dependent people.

Alongside this, office space is also planned. The southern part of the site with residences and offices has been entrusted to Beng architects associates.

In addition to the built space, 6,000 m2 of green spaces are included, representing around 15% of the surface area. Future users of the site will find two play areas and a landscaped park extending the Bettembourg green belt. The latter will also serve as a wet meadow in the event of heavy rain, limiting the risk of flooding thanks to collection basins.

Residents will be able to enjoy these green spaces thanks to restricted car traffic within the neighbourhood: vehicle access will be strictly limited to the streets serving the car parks. Access to the houses will be via a cul-de-sac to avoid through traffic. The residences, shops and retirement home will be accessible from the south via the ZAC Wolser.

Within the district, soft and active mobility is encouraged thanks to pedestrian paths.

A first-of-its-kind heating system

A pilot project is being set up to heat the district: Instead of being processed by an air-conditioning system, the waste heat from the neighbouring data centre will be recovered and transported directly to the new buildings to provide heating, air-conditioning and hot water. Installation of the system required for this network has already begun and should be completed in April.