Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Construction has begun on Pomppark Zuid, marking the launch of Antwerp’s first ring park on the right bank—part of a major green infrastructure initiative.
Groene Vesten’s first sub-project, Pomppark Zuid, is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026.
“We have now really started for a whole chain of ring parks”,
Says Oosterweeintendent Alexander D’Hooghe.
Although they have been ongoing for years, the Oosterweel link is still far from complete. The ring parks that will be constructed across the city are a part of that “construction site of the century.”
The construction of the ring park Groene Vesten on the right bank of Antwerp has begun, while the ring park West on the left bank is nearly complete.
The Pomppark Zuid, which is situated between the Antwerp-Zuid train station, the railway, the Desguinlei (Singel), and the Jan Van Rijswijcklaan, will be the first section of that ring park Groene Vesten. Almost 7.6 hectares in size, the Pomppark Zuid marks the start of the first ring park on the right bank.
“The ring park train has left,”
Says an enthusiastic Alexander D’Hooghe, intendant of the Oosterweel project.
“There are currently many gigantic construction sites going on, but we will have to wait a few more years for the ring parks. Pomppark Zuid will be ready by the end of next year.”
The site where the park is to be constructed currently has a lot of noise pollution. This is because of the train that runs by all the time and the Antwerp Ring, Belgium..
“There will be a gigantic high wall to muffle the noise,”
D’Hooghe continues.
“For the Pomppark Zuid, the effect of that wall should be even greater, because it is 8 meters below street level. So it should become one of the quietest zones in the area around the Ring.”
The area surrounding the pumping station, which is the focal point of the park, should be the quietest. A children’s play area will also be available.
“We have also provided play facilities for dogs with a dog walking area of 3,200 square meters,”
Says Koen Kennis (N-VA), alderman for Mobility and acting mayor.
Pomppark Zuid connects to the subsequently-renovated Antwerp-South station in the west by a platform. On that platform, shared mobility is possible.
When will work on Antwerp’s first ring park on the right bank be completed?
As part of a much bigger infrastructural and urban regeneration project, work is being done on Antwerp’s first ring park on the right bank, which is often linked to the Oosterweel Link project’s makeover of the Merksem viaduct region.
The majority of the ground-level parks and green spaces on the right bank won’t be realized until the lowered and covered sections of the ring road are finished, even though plans and some construction work for additional green spaces are already under way.
Due to permission problems and environmental concerns, the Oosterweel Link project as a whole has recently experienced delays and is now projected to be finished by the end of 2033 instead of the previously projected 2030.
