New construction World of Food will start earlier
In winter it stays cold in World of Food (WOF). The stick costs are very high. Especially with current energy prices. That is why, in consultation with entrepreneurs and developer Lingotto, we want to start earlier with the sloop and new construction.
The new construction of World of Food 2.0 is scheduled to start in 2023 and to be completed in 2026. This also means earlier demolition of the current, temporary location of World of Food in the former parking garage on Develstein. This is expected to happen around the summer.
An understanding in a short time
World of Food has quickly become a household name in Southeast and far beyond, in line with the rich culinary tradition of the district. Since its inception in 2015, it has attracted more than 100,000 visitors annually. And it was a successful breeding ground for many starting entrepreneurs. A number of them have since grown into new businesses in the city.
New construction on current site
Permanent new construction will be built on the current site, in combination with 350 homes. Current entrepreneurs will be compensated during the new construction. In the meantime, it will also be checked whether WOF can be continued in other ways. Because the goal is still to give WOF a sustainable and long-term future.
The 10 entrepreneurs who are currently active in World of Food will be compensated by Lingotto during the new building and can return to the new building later.
Temporary closure
The original starting point in 2015 was that the parking garage would house WOF until 2030. This will therefore be planned for 2023. Accompanying this, the temporary period at the current location will soon come to an end.
Lingotto, partly with the help of the Southeast district, has looked at possibilities to keep the entrepreneurs together during the future sloop and construction period and to (temporarily) accommodate them at 1 replacement location. This was not successful because no location is available. The entrepreneurs were personally disabled about this in October last year.
Start new construction
The plan is to start construction in the third quarter of 2023. Without setbacks, the new building can be completed in 2026.
What we do during construction
The district, Lingotto and the entrepreneurs want to keep World of Food alive during construction. Because in recent years it has become clear that there is a need for a place where the many cuisines of Zuidoost come together and that Zuidoost is bursting with entrepreneurs who can meet this need.
That is why we organize the usual annual activities under the name World of Food, so that everyone is clear about what to expect. The district discusses this with the entrepreneurs from the WOF and is open to ideas and initiatives.