Brussels has a permanent outdoor swimming pool
Brussels residents will be able to swim in the park from 2024
Yesterday, the Brussels authorities announced that the city is building an outdoor swimming pool. The last one closed 40 years ago and since then many civil groups have advocated for the restoration of natural outdoor swimming areas.
The project is part of the ‘Neerpede Operational Plan’ 2020 and is led by the Brussels environmental authorities and the municipality of Anderlecht.
A pool party in the park
The idea of parks with ponds for swimming is not new – many cities have similar offerings. There are the ponds of Hempstead Heath Park in London, numerous natural and park-like bathing areas in Berlin and Vienna, and the Alte-Donau, an artificial canal on the Danube originally built to control the flow of the River.
The project concerns the redevelopment of the Neerpede park, which already has bodies of water, the largest of which will be suitable for swimming. The depth of the pond will increase from 1.5 meters to 3 meters in some places.
The pond will also be a good place for swimming since its maximum length will be 130 meters while the total surface will be equal to 4 Olympic swimming pools. Despite the large area, access to the pond will be limited to 225 bathers at any given time.
The redevelopment is expected to take place in 2023, while the new pond will open to the public in 2024.
The move ended a year-long struggle by organizations, such as Pool is Cool, advocating for an outdoor swimming pond. In 2019, the organization opened a temporary swimming pond in Neerpede during the summer. Last year, there was an open swimming pool on one of the arms of the canal in Anderlecht.
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