An impression of the future central main building. – © Temporary Partnership Archilles Environment
The first design is ready for the new sports and recreation site at Frigbrook Park in Mechelen. At the same time, the city is investing in the infrastructure of SK Heffen Football Club.
Sven van Heisendonk
The city of Mechelen and the province of Antwerp are jointly developing a new site at the corner of Hombeeksesteenweg and Uilmolenweg. They want to accommodate as many sports there as possible. In principle, the realization of the first stage should begin at the end of this year.
In the first phase, it was planned to build several sports fields: a football field made of natural grass and one in artificial turf, an official rugby field and a multi-sport field. In addition, there will also be an area for various beach sports, a large part of the Finnish piste and a new central building.
The Temporary Partnership Archilles-Omgeving has the first draft ready. This gives an idea of what it should be. “Obviously this is just an outline and a general picture, but it clearly shows where we want to go with the city with this new multifunctional site,” says Abdul Rahman Labsir (Vld-Groen-m+), a member of the Sports Council.
The first design is based on a two-story building. – © Temporary Partnership Archilles Environment
According to him, the proximity of Frigbrook Park creates a pleasant added value for the visitor. “We want to use the new site as optimally as possible for the widest audience possible. Exercise and sports bring people together, but it will be more than just a sports site. It will also connect people.”
On Monday evening, Mechelen City Council approved an additional budget of one million euros within the total project. With this money, Sport Actief Mechelen (SAM) plans to renovate SK Heffen’s land in Gentsesteenweg. The city is investing in an artificial turf field there, but one is also being put in the natural turf for young people. It should enable the club to centralize its operations. In the slightly longer term, the building is also being renovated.
An overview of the future sports and entertainment site. – © Temporary Partnership Archilles Environment.
