A tender for an open-air swimming pool in the Brussels neighbourhood of Anderlecht is expected to be launched before the summer, as calls for such swimming spots increase in Belgium and especially in the capital. Brussels has no permanent spot for outdoor swimming, but Pool is Cool, an organisation that advocates for open-air swimming spots, has previously opened temporary outdoor pools during the summer. The tender for a swimming pool on the roof of Manufakture in Anderlecht would be for a permanent facility, with construction
to begin in 2029 if everything goes according to plan. “The city is only getting hotter, so this project is becoming increasingly important,” state secretary for urban renewal Ans Persoons (Vooruit) told Bruzz. “With Vooruit, we have always treated this project as a priority, in the past through our remit at the VGC [Flemish Commumity Commission] and now also through the Urban Regeneration remit.” Brussels has been facing a severe shortage of swimming facilities for years. The Océade water park at Heysel closed in 2018
and last May, the Flow outdoor pool on the Digue du Canal in Anderlecht also shut down. A massive 350-metre outdoor swimming project on the Quai des Péniches in Brussels-City was scrapped as it was too expensive. Just last week, the Flemish government approved 10 new swimming zones, with the Ijsevijver in Overijse being the closest location for Brussels residents, but this still leaves no option within the region itself. The Anderlecht pool tender will be done via a DBFM (Design, Build, Finance, Maintain) contract,
a form of public-private partnership. The contract will be awarded in 2028. Meanwhile, three other proposals concerning open-air swimming remain stalled, including another in Anderlecht that was for part of the Neerpede pond to be opened up to swimmers. That proposal is still stuck at the Council of State following protests by campaign groups. While the quay project failed to secure the necessary funding, the City of Brussels said it had not abandoned its efforts to make swimming in the canals possible after water tests
came back positive. The Dilliès government’s coalition agreement stated that “the government will investigate the feasibility of supervised swimming in the canal”, likely through a scaled-down version of the original Quai des Péniches plan. Studies are still ongoing, and while Brussels alderwoman for sport Florence Frelinx (MR) was reluctant to give a timeline, she did reiterate the ambitions. “An open-air swimming pool on the canal is definitely in the pipeline,” Frelinx said. “We’re currently working with the Port of Brussels on a study and will
then launch a call for projects in collaboration with the private sector, which will have to finance the pool.”
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