New youth hostel to open in Brussels city centre

A new youth hostel will soon be located in the heart of Brussels, a stone's throw from Place Sainte-Catherine and Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains, RTBF reports.

The project was initiated by the network of Youth Hostels in 2019, and has now obtained a planning permit dated 11 April, according to a joint announcement from the Brussels secretary of state in charge of urban planning, Pascal Smet, the mayor of the City of Brussels, Philippe Close, and the alderman of urban planning Ans Persoons.

The facility will be situated in a former disused medical centre. The real estate programme plans to accommodate up to 182 people in 41 rooms. It will offer common areas, which will be available for meetings, exhibitions, workshops and various events, as well as a restaurant.

According to the president of the non-profit association managing the network of Youth Hostels in Wallonia and Brussels, Jean-Philippe Cuvelier, "the site will be entirely at the service of social diversity, offering a high quality offer for a rate that is all the more controlled as its operator does not pursue any objective of profit.”

“Through this major investment, the Youth Hostels network intends to offer Brussels a new attraction, in line with the legitimate ambitions of the capital of Europe."