A buyer has been found for the former Audi car assembly plant in Vorst (Greater Brussels): the Heylen Group, a company based in the Kempen District is purchasing the site. It plans to develop a large business park, hosting local firms and international players. In the long term, the project is expected to create 3,000 jobs, roughly the same number as the jobs lost due to the closure of the Audi car assembly factory. A year and a half ago, the last car rolled off the production line at the Audi factory in Vorst. Since then, the site, covering some 55 hectares, has stood empty.
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Heylen Group snaps up Audi site in Vorst: 3,000 new jobs on the way at new business park
Colin Clapson
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For a long time, it was unclear what would become of Brussels’ largest industrial site. Among other possibilities, it was mooted as a potential defence site. That will not be happening after all.
Heylen Group comprises more than 40 companies and is owned by an entrepreneur from Herentals (Antwerp Province). Heylen aims to turn the site into “one of Brussels’ most dynamic economic centres”.
‘Rings Park 21’
The project has been named ‘Rings Park 21’. Dozens of businesses are set to move in, ranging from large to small players. Exactly which companies these will be is not yet clear. Part of the site is also set to be opened to the public. The nearby Vorst-Zuid railway station will also be integrated into the project.
‘Bringing together SMEs and established industrial activities is precisely the model of urban economy that we want to develop in Brussels,’ says Laurent Hublet, the Brussels Employment and Economy Minister (Francophone centrist Les Engagés). ‘This project is in line with that and ensures that the site continues to serve the Brussels economy and the people of Brussels.’
To attract entrepreneurs to the site, the minister has promised incentives, such as tax incentives and fast-track planning permission.
Employment recovery
‘Rings Park 21’ is expected to create at least 3,000 jobs – roughly the same number as the old Audi workforce. Heylen Warehouses aims to create these jobs as quickly as possible.
“We’re getting started straight away, because every day counts when it comes to employment. The urgency is not only financial but also social: the sooner this forward-looking project becomes operational, the sooner Brussels can restore the lost jobs and generate a new dynamic for growth,” says CEO Ralph Caspanni. The company expects it will take just under 10 years to roll out the entire project.
The purchase price has not been disclosed. In March, the group also acquired a large part of the former Caterpillar factory in Gosselies, near Charleroi (Hainault Province). There, 37.5 hectares are being redeveloped into an SME-zone.