Linkebeek (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Linkebeek’s future park, the old swimming pool site in Brouwerijstraat, will be open to all people. For this, the municipality has applied for a permit. There will be water features, boardwalks and footpaths, and the Linkebeek will be revealed and given a natural bank zone.
The outdoor swimming pool shut down in 1993, but has been left alone until now.
“The old concrete pool bowls are still there, but they are completely overgrown,”
says Alderman Roel Leemans (Lijst van de Burgemeester).
“Nature has completely taken over, but not in a pretty way.”
The municipality wants to give the rundown site a complete overhaul. Under the name ‘Forgotten Oasis’ the place will be transformed into a publicly accessible park, with space for water features, pools and nature, “where biodiversity is given all the space”.
The old swimming pool floor will be fully de-hardened, providing natural sources room to infiltrate once more instead of flowing away through canals. The Linkebeek, which has grown up and runs right across the site, will again be visible and will have a natural bank zone. Apart from that, there are also going to be boat walks and footpaths, as well as a natural play area.
Plans have been there for a while, and still the city municipality has been waiting to see whether the accumulated cost would still be 372.000 euros. “But as a municipality, we believe in this project anyway. The site has become overgrown over the years, but has a lot of potential,” Leemans emphasises. He is hoping the province will provide a permit soon so the work can begin in the fall.
What is the background behind the transformation of Linkebeek’s old swimming pool site into a public park?
Linkebeek, an administrative entity in the Flemish Brabant province of Belgium, is embarking on one of its biggest urban renewal projects by turning the old swimming pool site located on Brouwerijstraat into a public park. This site was previously a recreational facility for residents in the area, but it has been dormant for a while. The initiative to re-purpose the area adequately reflects larger municipal initiatives to improve green spaces, to pursue environmental sustainability, and to support well-being within communities.
The proposed park will include natural features, including water features, boardwalks, and footpaths, that are intended to make the park a welcoming place for both residents and visitors.
One important part of the project is the renewal of the stream in Linkebeek and more highlights and integration into the park will be achieved by designing a natural bank zone. This approach is consistent with the modern trends in ecological urban planning oriented to the restoration of natural waterways and biodiversity in urban areas.
