European school, international institutions, overflowing economic activity, nature, culture... The municipality of Mamer has considerable assets that have a very positive influence on the growth of the population. However, this attractiveness is not without impact on the demand for housing and on property prices...

A glance at the map of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg quickly shows why Mamer attracts international institutions, important economic players and a growing population. The municipality, which also includes the towns of Holzem and Capellen, is located halfway between the Belgian border and Luxembourg City. In addition, two major roads meet here: the N6 and the A6. "The public transport network is also very well structured," explains Gilles Roth, who has been mayor of the municipality for 18 years. "There are many buses and trains that allow you to easily reach Luxembourg City. And that's not all, because the tram could soon reach Mamer. The work would not be very complicated, it would just have to run along the N6.

The appeal of IT institutions and companies

It is not surprising, therefore, that important players have settled in the territory of Mamer. And that the population followed. Many European civil servants who work in Luxembourg City live in Mamer," says Gilles Roth. But since 1968, a NATO agency has also been located in our municipality, in Capellen: the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. This agency attracts a lot of personnel, who often live in our municipality.

Another major provider of inhabitants in Mamer is the IT sector. In Capellen, in what some have called the "Luxembourg Silicon Valley", there is a high concentration of technological players. This sector began to develop in the Capellen business park in the early 2000s," recalls the mayor. It started slowly, with the arrival of companies working in IT, attracted by the presence of land close to Luxembourg City, but at prices much lower than those charged in the capital. Then there was a snowball effect and companies specialising in this sector began to flock: Hewlet-Packard, Fujitsu, IBM, etc.

In addition to these particular players, the Capellen business park has also succeeded in attracting world leaders in their sector, such as the Belgian company Jan De Nul, which specialises in maritime dredging and large-scale canal construction.

A growing population

The municipality of Mamer currently has about 9500 inhabitants, of which 48% are non-Luxembourgers. Its population is constantly growing. Over the last five years, the population has increased by about 3% per year," says Gilles Roth. This represents a positive annual growth of about 250 people.

In addition to the many available jobs and the accessibility, we can also mention the presence in the territory of Mamer of an educational offer that is almost without equal in the Grand Duchy. Since 2000, we have invested no less than 315 million euros in school and extracurricular infrastructures," explains the mayor. Today, we can receive every child from the age of 3 in our pre-school service or in our halfway house. This is quite exceptional in Luxembourg. Mamer also has a European school, not to mention the Josy Barthel high school.

Obviously, such attractiveness must be well understood. It is necessary to be able to meet the demand for housing. Local elected officials, just like the national authorities, have therefore taken care to put in place appropriate land use plans. A sense of anticipation that the mayor of Mamer is pleased about. "In 2013, we published a General Development Plan which provided for the construction of new housing estates and a densification of the urban habitat, particularly along the road from Arlon to Mamer. New single-family houses will be built on this axis. Our development plan respects the prescriptions of the future sectoral plans for housing projected by the government. The municipality of Mamer is considered as a priority, which means that its housing supply must increase by 20% in 6 years.

The cost of housing, a big thorn in the side

There is no question of municipal officials resting on their laurels. The difficulty is to manage to offer housing that remains accessible to modest budgets. The problem of the cost of housing is a scourge experienced by all the municipalities bordering Luxembourg City," acknowledges Gilles Roth. In Mamer, a plot of land costs 125,000 euros to buy. Even a couple of teachers with a good salary cannot afford it. It is simply impossible for young people who are starting to work and do not have their own funds or support from their parents, for example.

To remedy this, the municipality of Mamer is working on various solutions. "The most obvious is to increase the supply. But the population is not always in favour of this," explains the mayor. That said, we have already taken the lead by planning the construction of a 152-unit low-cost housing estate in 2018. It will be located near the European school and will offer homes of a very high quality. We don't want people to have to live in poor quality housing because they pay less.

Another idea is to promote rental housing. An adapted system has been set up for people who wish to rent out their property through our social real estate agency," explains Gilles Roth. These owners receive a lower rent, but they have the guarantee of being paid. In addition, they are only taxed at 50% on this income. In the end, their net income is more or less the same as what they would receive in a traditional rental system.

Nature and culture, the other pearls of Mamer

According to its mayor, Mamer would probably not be as attractive without its rustic yet close to the city living environment. A good part of our 28 km2 territory is still occupied by agricultural land," he explains. We also have a lot of forests, including those along the river Mamer, which are very beautiful. In addition, last year we built an 11-hectare nature park in the centre of Mamer, with unspoilt nature, playgrounds for children and a pavilion with food and sanitary facilities. This area is very successful.

Add to this a Regional Cultural Centre, which opened in 2010 and offers 100 shows a year, and the forthcoming construction of a public music school, and you will understand why we have nicknamed Mamer "the municipality of 1000 assets"...