Road works are announced until 2026. This is undoubtedly the price to pay to complete the transformation of a long-industrial district into a modern residential district.
On the other hand, the center of the town is still difficult to access due to road works which are announced until 2026. This is undoubtedly the price to pay to complete the transformation of a long-industry district into a modern residential district. . “Several real estate projects are still emerging from the ground on the rue des Carburants side, not far from avenue Van Volxem”underlines notary Jean Martroye de Joly, whose office is located in Forest.
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However, the town still retains strong variations, between upscale neighborhoods and working-class neighborhoods. “There is a strong dichotomy between the bottom and the top of the commune,” explains Me Martroye, “or more precisely between the north and the south. Towards the Gare du Midi, there remain complicated neighborhoods, with less quality and older buildings, less well maintained.” As for the most qualitative, even very chic, we find it at the top of the town, as, for example, with the very upscale avenue Molière, located partly on Forest but also near the Altitude 100 or the Duden and de Forest.
Forest Village
“But it is clearly the transformation that has taken place in the centre of the town, not far from the Audi factories, which has long been an industrial district, that is interesting to observe,” the notary continues. “I mentioned the block on Rue des Carburants, and I could also talk about the Jardins de l’Union, a project of Citydev.brussels located on Avenue de la Second British Army.”
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At No. 1 rue des Carburants, Bathim&Co Real Estate Services plans to deliver thirty high-energy performance housing units by 2026, located in zone 20. The third phase of the building will rise within a vast park of one and a half hectares and will offer a wide range of accommodation, ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments. The advertised construction price for a two-bedroom apartment of 94 m² on the fourth floor is 330,000 euros excluding VAT.
Avenue Van Volxem, we are still talking about apartments between 76 and 95 m² at 4,500 euros per square meter.
To transform this industrial district into a welcoming “Forest Village”, it took a lot of effort and resources, in particular to decontaminate the soil after decades of industrial activities.
Finally, also announced for delivery in 2026, a project at No. 184 Chaussée de Neerstalle, towards the Parc du Bempt, provides 49 apartments diversified in size and style and ranging from studios to three bedrooms, including four very beautiful penthouses, all equipped with terraces, balconies or gardens. Construction is being carried out by the developer Artone and the architecture office DDS+. A 40m² apartment is advertised from 215,000 euros excluding VAT (count around 400,000 euros for a 100 m² two-bedroom apartment and even 650,000 euros for three-bedroom penthouses, 130 m² with beautiful terraces between 49 and 60 m² for three of them).
The stadium issue
Another issue that has been causing a lot of controversy in the town in recent years is the announced move of the Union Saint-Gilloise stadium, which is cramped in its good old Marien stadium, not at all suited to the economic challenges of a modern stadium.
Its English owners would like to move to the Bempt side, right next to the Ring. Despite the fact that the chosen location was formerly a recycling center, the town is currently reluctant to give in, for reasons of mobility and the loss of a certain number of sports infrastructures installed in the surrounding area.
However, the construction of such a new stadium is not just a sporting issue, as notary Martroye further underlines. “I sincerely think that many positive assets can be found there: decontamination of the ground, installation of economic tools – such a stadium is not just a match every two weeks but also daily activities that keep everything alive a neighborhood and this can only enhance it, if everything is done intelligently. It will, in any case, be an issue in the October electoral campaign in the town. Without forgetting that the residents around the current stadium will perhaps also be happy to find the tranquility of their neighborhood when the Union was scraping by in the lower divisions.”
Renewed notarial activity
As for notarial activity, if the first quarter of 2024 saw a decrease in signed acts compared to the same period in 2023, the Martroye notary has since observed a very clear increase in activity. “The rates remain reasonable, without seeming to. We know that the second quarter is always good, in normal times. But, in 2023, this was not the case. So, we can say that in 2024, we seem to be returning to normal activity. Many acts passed now will be signed in September.”
Registration fees remain the Achilles heel in Brussels, compared to Flanders, where they are only 3% on the first purchase. Certainly in the capital, there is a reduction on the first 200,000 euros, for a property worth less than 600,000 euros, but unfortunately, this amount is quickly exceeded. “We therefore see that the middle class is moving to Flanders given the greater ease of access to housing.”
Making Brussels more attractive
And, in Flanders, the municipalities closest to Forest are Drogenbos and Linkebeek, municipalities with facilities where the quality of life, with four-sided villas with gardens, is superior, particularly for workers who have adopted teleworking since the time of Covid, “without forgetting that public transport in these two towns is completely satisfactory”comments the notary.
Housing in Forest, on the other hand, is more diversified, with numerous apartment buildings, even rental houses subdivided into apartments. Many former owners still make donations to their descendants. The results of the legislative elections see two parties, MR and Les Engagés, wanting to eliminate inheritance taxes or set them at a maximum of 3 or 4%. They would also like to re-federalize the matter. “This could be a game-changer in real estate if it passes…”concludes Me Martroye for whom Forest is a very interesting municipality for potential buyers.
