The municipality of Molenbeek, together with Citydev, the BMA and the NMBS, is launching a feasibility study for a water park on the Weststation site. Alderman for Public Works Jef Van Damme (one.brussels-Vooruit) hopes that the project will be completed within three years.
In June 2021 it was announced that a subtropical swimming paradise in the style of Océade would be built next to the Weststation. The Brussels government then approved the Construction Plan (RPA) for that vacant lot.
Now a call has also been launched for a feasibility study. The municipality of Molenbeek, citydev.brussels and the SNCB are looking for a team with an architect-urban planner, a financial expert, a lawyer and a developer specialized in sports infrastructure to carry out the study.
“We are one step closer,” says Van Damme. And that’s good, he thinks, because there is a clear need for an aqua park in Brussels. “Aquaparks are being built all over Belgium, even in smaller municipalities. In Brussels, we have had nothing since the closure of Océade, while more than one million inhabitants live there. Moreover, many people cannot go on holiday. An aquapark like this is a place where they can still have a holiday feeling. It’s not too far and costs a lot less than a plane ticket or a stay at the sea.”
In 2021, Van Damme said the intention is that the park could open five years later, in 2026. “That is still the objective,” says Van Damme. “The feasibility study must be completed in October. We can therefore decide in the autumn to launch the call for effective construction. Then there are still two years to actually build it.”
It is not yet clear what the cost will be. “But it is not the intention that the government finances it,” emphasizes Van Damme. “A private operator has to build it and run it, just like Océade did.”
At the end of December, the Brussels government finally approved the proposal to build an indoor and outdoor swimming pool on the roof of the Manufakture building on the Abattoir site in Anderlecht. That is only a 10-minute walk from Weststation, but according to Van Damme that is not double.
“There will be a swimming pool on the Abattoir site. That is a fantastic project, but it will not be an aqua park. So both projects can coexist. We clearly need more swimming facilities in Brussels. And even with these two projects we will not meet all needs.”
Two Scenarios
It is not yet one hundred percent certain that there will actually be a water park on the site. In the feasibility study, there will be two scenarios, including one for a water park. “But our preference is really for a water park,” says Van Damme. “The regional plan also states that the park is intended to be built. The second scenario is a plan B, if a water park is really not possible.”
Interested parties can respond to the call up to and including Tuesday 17 January at 2 p.m.
This article is originally published on bruzz.be
