Concerns about the future of Antwerp Beguinage, now a hidden gem attracting interest from project developers: “No ‘gated community’, please” | Antwerp

Will there be affordable rental housing for young families in the Begijnhof in the Antwerp university area, as promised four years ago? And will the magnificent courtyard remain accessible to everyone after the restoration work? The fact that the hidden gem has been visited by various project developers with a view to repurposing makes the opposition party Groen nervous. They fear a scenario such as Elzenveld at the Antwerp botanical garden, which has been taken over – in a rather brutal manner – by the luxury hotel Botanic Sanctuary.