The plans for the Our Lady Ter Hoyen beguinage in the Lange Violettestraat, better known as the Klein Beguinage, date back to several years ago.
Developer MM Estate Group wants to convert the Sint-Beggaconvent, the infirmary, the plague houses and some outbuildings into student housing. The company recently received the green light from the council of aldermen.
This is what the result should look like, according to simulations from 2024. © Callebaut Architects
There will be 52 studios, 18 rooms with private sanitary facilities and a caretaker’s house. The project is only intended for master’s and doctoral students who are temporarily staying in Ghent for research.
In this way, nuisance from students must be avoided and peace in the beguinage must be preserved. Anyone who violates the house rules risks immediate termination of the rental agreement, the regulations state.
Not for students, but for researchers and doctoral students: there will be studios in this beguinage
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Some of the buildings are in very poor condition. In 2021, the Beggaconvent was partly destroyed by a fire, which means it must first be rebuilt. The collapsed roofs of outbuildings and pest houses must also first be restored.
These are the buildings to the right of the beguinage church. © Framework
The courtyard and courtyard between the buildings are currently overgrown. These will be transformed into a green courtyard. A bicycle shed is provided.
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In exchange for the investment, the developer receives a long lease on the buildings for almost a hundred years. They then return to the non-profit organization that owns the beguinage. The Flemish government decided in 2024 to award 500,000 euros in subsidies to the project.
