Start of work on the “Station B” office building, opposite Béthune station

The commitment of the City of Béthune (62) and the Agglomeration of Béthune-Bruay, Artois Lys Romane was decisive in this operation which strengthens the economic attractiveness of the station hub and completes the dynamism initiated by the establishment of the cinema and the hotel.

The sale of the project and the signing of the first leases took place in July 2024. Subsequently, work on the future office building, carried out by Bouygues Bâtiment Nord-Est, began. Delivery is scheduled for early 2026.

An ideal location in the city center of Béthune

This project embodies the dynamics of economic renewal observed on the scale of the Béthune-Bruay conurbation by offering qualitative implantation possibilities at the level of the forecourt of the Béthune station, avenue du Maréchal Juin, the Station B building in fact benefits from an environment conducive to developing economic activities:

• walking access to local shops and services around the station,
• quick access to the A26 (Calais-Reims) and A21 (Lens-Douai) motorways,
• immediate proximity to the Béthune TGV station, where thousands of travelers pass through every day (4 direct daily round trips to Paris).

This project, developed on a site that is largely artificialized and impermeable, increases the proportion of surfaces favorable to nature (biotope coefficient). It will create more green spaces, promote the return of nature and encourage biodiversity to settle in again.

The building's eco-responsibility and the project's exemplary nature are reinforced by obtaining the certification: BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) "Very Good" (level 3/5), which attests to its high performance in terms of environmental sustainability. This means that the Station B building complies with strict standards in terms of energy, resource and waste management, while limiting its impact on the environment.

Conceived by architect Bertrand DUQUENOY of the TRANSITION agency, designed and built by Linkcity, Station B will be recognizable by a luminous signature on the façade that takes up the visual codes of the “Smart City” 1 identity carried by the City of Béthune. This colorful and evolving signage, affixed to the windows and acroteria, will extend a luminous signature already deployed on the cinema and the hotel which are located nearby. Station B will be part of the continuity of the urban landscape and will complete it.

Workspaces focused on user well-being

Over 4 floors, Station B offers 3.200 m2 of offices with flexible workspaces to accommodate companies of all sizes.

Bright and airy, the human-sized workspaces are distributed as follows:

• R+1 to R+3: offices (3 x 870 m2)
• R+4: offices (590 m2) with a private terrace

The 700 m2 ground floor will house 4 commercial units, some of which are specifically designed to accommodate a nursery and restaurants. Designed to attract the public, the shops will contribute to the liveliness and dynamism of this new building and the station district as a whole.

At the rear of the building there are shared landscaped outdoor spaces for the benefit of users and which invite conviviality.

The project benefits from a large bicycle storage area and 63 secure and reserved parking spaces in the existing neighbouring car park.

The building still has a few floors available for rent,
divisible from 120 m2.

For Olivier GACQUERRE, Mayor of Béthune and President of the Béthune-Bruay, Artois Lys Romane Urban Community: "The Station B project is part of our ambition to make Béthune Smart City a collaborative, sustainable and innovative city that improves the living environment of its residents, optimizes the efficiency of services for all and supports the necessary change management. Station B is thus participating in the revitalization of the city center and in particular the train station district, which is undergoing a complete renewal. This real estate complex will be equipped with all the functional and connected equipment to contribute to the development of a tertiary activity center in the heart of the city. This is a real bet on the future to diversify and strengthen our local economy. Thank you to Linkcity, Banque des Territoires and Fonsalia for their commitment to this project, which is essential to the attractiveness of our Agglomeration, a partner in the operation."

For Frédéric DELABIE, North-East Director of Linkcity: "With Station B, we are part of the project of the City of Béthune and its urban area, which wishes to boost the local economic fabric by offering a renewed tertiary offer. We are developing a new office building with large surfaces, where until now, the tertiary offer was made up of small surfaces within old buildings that offered little comfort to users. It is a real lever of attractiveness for the territory of Béthune-Bruay and the renewal of the Béthune station district."

For Olivier CAMAU, Hauts-de-France Regional Director of the Banque des Territoires: "Our commitment to the economic development of the Béthune area continues strongly. We are proud to participate in the transformation of the city of Béthune, particularly through the reconversion of former railway wasteland. Station B is a flagship project, perfectly integrated into the Action Cœur de Ville program, which we actively support. The latter plays a key role in the revitalization of the station district and we are convinced that this initiative will strengthen the economic attractiveness of the city and promote the creation of new opportunities for its residents."

The actors of the project:

• Partner communities: City of Béthune, the Agglomeration of Béthune-Bruay, Artois Lys Romane
• Project management: Linkcity
• General contractor: Bouygues Bâtiment Nord-Est
• AMO: Elan
• Architect: Transition
• Landscaper: Land
• Client: SCI station B (Bank of the Territories and Fonsalia)

[1] Since 2016, the City of Béthune has developed the Smart City approach, which aims to build the city of tomorrow, taking into account the current challenges of our society. The challenge is to make Béthune a collaborative, sustainable and innovative city.