Antwerp (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): The old youth hostel on Eric Sasselaan in Antwerp will be demolished in four months to create new green space. Fences will protect new plants for six additional months after planting.
The building between Eric Sasselaan and the Antwerp Ring is going to be torn down and the work will take about 4 months. This demolition is part of a bigger plan to improve the green spaces in the area. After the building is gone they will plant new grass and different types of shrubs. This effort aims to make the local environment nicer and better for nature. To help the new plants grow well, construction fences will stay up for another 6 months after the building is torn down and the plants are put in. It has been said that these fences are important because they protect the young plants from anything that might hurt their growth. This extra time will help the grass and shrubs take root deeply and thrive, making sure the new green space is a lasting and beautiful part of the area.
How will Antwerp’s Eric Sasselaan transform into green space?
The building on Eric Sasselaan, once called Op Sinjoorke, was a well-known youth hostel in Antwerp for over 50 years. It was an important place for young travelers and groups from all over the world. The hostel offered cheap places to stay and created a lively community. However, by the early 2000s, the building became old and couldn’t meet modern safety, accessibility and comfort needs. The decision was made to move the youth hostel to a new place on Bogaardplein, which has modern facilities and is in a better location. This move marked the end of an era for Op Sinjoorke and showed the trend of updating youth accommodations.
After it closed as a youth hostel the building on Eric Sasselaan was used by a school community for a short time but then became empty. Alderman Annick De Ridder said, “For more than 50 years, Op Sinjoorke was a favorite place for travelers from everywhere. That time is over now. We’re taking down the old, broken building to make way for something new. It will be replaced with more green space, and this area will become part of a new neighborhood park called Ringpark Grone Vesten.”
