It is with great pleasure and due pride that we announce the launch of brand-new flats on Ezeldijk in Diest. We’re immediately launching two beautiful buildings with 73 flats, marking the next phase of the redevelopment of the Ezeldijk site.
The redevelopment of the former grounds of Euro Shoe, on the outskirts of the Diest city centre, is taking shape once again. Two sustainable housing projects will soon arise on a number of derelict parcels on the Ezeldijk, in which a total of 73 families will get a new home as from 2022 onwards. The newly built flats of ‘Nieuwe Kade’ and ‘Heeren van Diest’ already reinforce Diest’s ambition to profile itself as a central city.
According to the Flemish government’s latest forecasts, the population of Diest will grow to a total of more than 25,200 inhabitants over the next 15 years. This strong increase also requires additional high-quality housing, which is exactly what has been realised on the Ezeldijk since 2009. In just a few years, the site has evolved from a drab business park to a green residential area on the edge of the Diest city centre. More than 200 flats have already been built and a residential care centre with 47 assisted-living residences has also been built.
Living by the water
The next phase in the site’s repurposing process has now begun with the launch of two new housing projects realised by project developer Ciril. The first bears the name ‘Nieuwe Kade’. This new building is located right on the waterfront, within walking distance of the centre, and consists of a total of 27 luxury 2- and 3-bedroom flats and 3 penthouses overlooking the Demer and the famous Ezeldijk mill.
What’s unique about this project is that it is comprised of nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB), from the ground floor to the flats on the third floor. For this purpose, the Limburg developer Ciril works with communal central heating boilers, solar panels, and a high-quality ventilation system. In addition, rainwater harvesting is also provided and the houses do not require time-consuming maintenance, thanks to a high-quality interior finish.
“All these elements, combined with underground parking and the construction of various green relaxation zones, will ensure a healthy residential mix. Both young families and older residents will certainly find something to their liking here as from 2022 onwards. We are convinced that this project contributes to Diest’s ambition to be an attractive residential and central city.” – Jan Knippenberg of Ciril
Saddle roofs
Ciril is building a second, striking housing project on the Schoenmakersstraat side: ‘Heeren van Diest’. Specifically, this new building consists of 46 spacious 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom flats. The name of the project was not chosen by accident. It is a subtle reference to Diest as an Oranjestad (a sister city with a long connection to the Dutch monarchy, specifically the House of Orange-Nassau) and to the many beautiful mansions that can be found in the city.
“We mainly tried to recreate the atmosphere that prevails in Diest in the design of this building. We did this by providing small, cosy streets, paying a lot of attention to cyclists and pedestrians, paving the streets with the characteristic clinkers, working with a plinth in some buildings as we used to see at the mansions, and partly working with saddle roofs. These roofs are the eye-catchers of the project: unique penthouse flats in which we extend the ceiling height to the ridge. This sometimes results in heights of four metres and more.” – Jan Knippenberg of Ciril
An additional asset of the new housing project is that it is located close to the Webbekoms Broek nature reserve. The flats will be ready for the first residents in 2022. Developers Ciril and Diest Invest will start the preparatory works this week.
View the current range on https://www.ezeldijk.be/
