Brussels’ only open-air swimming pool is closing after five years. The Flow swimming pool, next to the canal in Anderlecht will close before the end of next month. Those behind the project say that they will continue to campaign for a permanent open air swimming pool in the capital.
The Flow pool was built by the not-for-profit group Pool is Cool. Initially, it offered open swimming sessions, swimming lessons, aqua aerobics, yoga and cultural events during the summer months. However, from 2023 it began opening during the winter months too. A sauna opened on the Flow site last year.
Pool is Cool’s Paul Steinbrück told journalists that “This decision was not taken lightly. After five years of testing, learning, adapting and proving what outdoor swimming can mean for Brussels, we believe it’s time to bring this chapter to a close.”
With Flow’s closure Brussels once again has no publicly accessible outdoor swimming pool.
A first step towards a permanent pool?
Built during the COVID-19 crisis and amid rising building material prices, the project was realised using simple, low-cost materials. These materials were not expected to last long-term and the site’s structure would soon require thorough renovation in order to remain safe and functional.
Mr Steinbrück says that “It is the responsibility of public authorities to provide decent, accessible and sufficient outdoor swimming places. We’ve always been willing to support them in this”
In recent years, four outdoor swimming projects have been discussed but as yet none have been realised.
"Flow is not the solution. It should never have been treated like one"
Paul Steinbrück goes on to say that “Flow has shown the way forward: it has proven that a well-designed, inclusive and sustainable public outdoor pool in Brussels is not only possible but urgently needed,” It is to our great disappointment that the Brussels political system and its key actors have failed to take the necessary next step.”
With the ongoing political impasse in Brussels nine months after the regional elections, securing public funding to sustain the pool’s operations has become nearly impossible.