Belgium: Plopsa Presents Plans for New Plopsaqua Water Park in Mechelen
With its two Plopsaqua aquatic facilities in De Panne (cf. EAP 3/2015) and Hannut-Landen (cf. EAP 1/2021), the Plopsa Group already successfully operates two themed water parks in Belgium. In Haßloch, Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate region, the operator is also considering to build its own water park (cf. EAP news of 22 Dec 2021). Now a third Plopsaqua location is planned to be added in Belgium – the city of Mechelen, in the province of Antwerp, will also receive such a water park. The Belgian operating group plans to invest a total of 50 million euros in the creation of Plopsaqua Mechelen Zennebad. The concept for the new facility was presented to the public yesterday during a press conference. The environmental permit application was also submitted.
Similar to the other two Plopsaqua complexes, the pool complex will have a municipal area that will be available for school and club sports and will be called “Zennebad”. It will offer a total of three pools, including a 25-meter sports pool with more than 15 lanes and a spectator stand. Divers will also find a dedicated area with a water depth of four meters. A smaller 25-meter pool and a teaching pool will be created for beginners.
In the leisure area of the pool complex, which will be heavily themed and dedicated to the characters “Kabouter Plop”, “Samson” and “Clown Bumba”, there will be a slide tower with various water slides, a wave pool with light and sound effects, a wild river, a water playground with various elements, a toddlers pool, several whirlpools as well as a spacious outdoor pool with a large sunbathing lawn. The new bathing complex, in which the city of Mechelen is also participating, will replace the current Geerdegemvaart indoor swimming pool. Optimized integration of the pool complex into the city’s transport network and its surrounding area will be ensured by appropriate infrastructure measures. (eap)