This concept, promised to offer increased privacy and security thanks to a private access route, gives birth to a unique real estate project. On the site, known as the Zoutedijk project, the future buyers will have the opportunity to build on a set of land highlighted in a green setting in the heart of the city. Although the specific prices are only accessible on request, the few figures mentioned testify to the exclusivity of the project, reserved for an ultra-private clients.
This is not the first time that projects have been around this vast land. At the beginning of the century, the Arabic sheikh Nasser al-Rashid envisaged the construction of a modern “minipalese” to serve as a second home for his Belgian wife. This project, which was to offer four rooms on an area of more than 800 m², has never seen the light of day and found itself in the hands of real estate developers. The latter had then imagined the creation of sumptuous villa-belongings on several levels, with lush common spaces including gardens and bodies of water. However, these grandiose ambitions had come up against the refusal of the previous executive, deemed incompatible with the local environment.
Finally, it is the solution to divide the land into 12 lots, allowing the construction of exceptional villas, which prevailed. The developer also obtained, on November 29, 2024, an urban planning authorization expressly integrating the total privatization of the access route. According to the economic daily newspaper “by Tijd”, the site of around 20,000 m² was recently acquired by Serge Hannecart, a businessman from Antwerp responsible for carrying out this project.
This project nevertheless arouses turmoil in terms of town planning and social cohesion. The bourgmestre of Knokke-Heist, Cathy Coudyser, member of the Local Party Inzicht, confirmed that the authorization had been granted by the former executive, just a few days before taking office of the new municipal council. And the current bourgmestre does not hide being opposed to this megalo project, contrary to inclusive and open town planning that it supports.
Contemporary villas and glazed penthouses: luxury real estate is on the rise
