Ypres (The Brussels Morning newspaper): Mayor Emmily Tale proposed an underground car park in Poperinge to improve the market area but current finances prevent the project. Alternative parking solutions are being explored for better accessibility.
In Poperinge Emmily Tale the current mayor and leader of Team Leper suggested building an underground car park. She shared this idea during the announcement of the Open Leper city list last year. The main reason for this proposal is to solve the problem of cars taking up space in the market area which is one of the most beautiful markets in the country. Tale pointed out that while the market looks great having cars there makes it less charming and usable. It has been said that the idea for an underground car park is seen as a way to fix the problem of cars in the market area. The plan is to look into both the technical and money-related parts of building this project. This means checking if it’s possible to build an underground facility and figuring out the costs and where the money could come from. The goal is to make the market area better by getting rid of parking on the surface which will help keep the market looking nice and make it easier to use.
Can Ypres afford an underground parking solution for the market area?
The city recently looked at the costs for a big construction project and compared them to its budget. They found out that the city’s finances aren’t enough to pay for such a large project. This situation is mainly because of recent spending on other projects like the Leet and Sint-Maartensplein which have already put a strain on the city’s money. Because of this the city has decided that it can’t go ahead with the big construction project right now. While there’s a chance it could happen later it’s not possible at the moment. The city will need to look at its finances again maybe find more funding or focus on other spending before thinking about new big construction projects.
For Open Leper making sure the city is easy to access is very important along with improving bike-friendliness and keeping the city clean. One specific focus is to improve parking options at key places like the Grote Markt. The city is actively looking for different ways to manage parking in these central areas. The search involves finding alternative parking solutions that are conveniently located near the city center. If successful these alternatives could make the idea of building underground parking unnecessary. By identifying suitable options close to main attractions Open Leper aims to improve accessibility while avoiding the need for more disruptive and expensive projects like underground parking facilities.
