Plans to create an outdoor swimming pool at the Béco canal dock in Brussels, near the Tour & Taxis district, have been in the works for years but are now facing further delays.
The Brussels-Capital Region has been urged to abandon its current feasibility study and instead let private Finnish investors bring the long-awaited project to life.
Brussels has long grappled with a high demand for open-air swimming, but local Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Pascal Smet, of the Vooruit party, highlighted that the city’s financial constraints make it unlikely that public funds will be available for the project in the foreseeable future.
In a letter addressed to Minister Karine Lalieux, Smet pointed out that the Capital Region’s budget would not accommodate additional public investment in the next decade.
“It is almost certain that no additional public funds will be found in the next 10 years to realise this open-air swimming pool as a public project,” Smet wrote, adding that this financial reality should not spell the end of the outdoor pool concept. Instead, he urged the Brussels government to explore alternative funding sources.
While the City of Brussels has confirmed its support for the pool, with Beliris — the partnership between the Federal Government and the Brussels-Capital Region — preparing a tender for a feasibility study, Smet has called for a halt to this process.
The study, allocated a €1 million budget, would be suspended in favor of exploring a proposal from Finnish investors who had expressed interest in the project two years ago.
These Finnish investors, active in the outdoor pool industry in Scandinavia, are reportedly confident in the feasibility of the swimming pool and are willing to invest in the project.
Smet, who met with the investors during his tenure as Brussels’ State Secretary for international relations and urban planning, believes that working with the private sector may be the best route forward.
“Everyone knows that I have been in favor of building an outdoor swimming pool for 20 years. Pending new negotiations with this external partner, I think it would be better not to allocate the study for the time being, or at least to suspend it,” Smet stated.
He emphasized that the involvement of Finnish investors could expedite the process and make the long-anticipated project a reality sooner.
According to Smet, halting the feasibility study at this point would be a more prudent approach, given the current financial uncertainty, and would allow for the private investment opportunity to be explored further.
The proposal aligns with Vooruit.brussels’ stance on improving open-air swimming infrastructure in the city.
Brussels is notably lacking in outdoor swimming facilities when compared to other major European cities. Amsterdam boasts eight open-air swimming locations, Helsinki has three, and Prague has six. Vienna leads with ten, while Paris has nine outdoor pools.
In contrast, Berlin has an impressive 26 outdoor swimming venues. Brussels currently has only a handful of projects in development to remedy the shortage, including plans to create swimming opportunities in Neerpede and a swimming complex at the Abattoir site in Anderlecht.
The Brussels government’s commitment to providing better outdoor swimming facilities has grown in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of public outdoor spaces.
However, the ongoing financial challenges faced by the region may prompt a reevaluation of how best to fund and manage such projects.
While the future of the Béco canal dock swimming pool remains uncertain, Smet’s proposal to pursue private investment offers a glimmer of hope for residents eager for more outdoor swimming options in the Belgian capital.