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🇧🇪 Belgium /Energy & Infrastructure

Glamping company Urban Gardens takes over Sport Vlaanderen site in Blankenberge

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Urban Gardens has taken over operation of the former Sport Vlaanderen sports site in Blankenberge under a 49-year lease.
  • The company plans to invest about 10 million euros by 2031 in sports facilities, lodging, a glamping area and a camper site.
  • The operator had six months to prepare the takeover after the city council approved the final agreement last week.

Urban Gardens officially took over the former Sport Vlaanderen sports site in Blankenberge after the city council approved the final cooperation agreement last week. The company, run by Parcifal Coeman and financed by Marc Coucke, will lease the site for 49 years, while the city retains ownership of the land.

Normally we take about three years for such a takeover, but now we had to do it in six months.

— Parcifal CoemanThe Urban Gardens manager described the compressed preparation period.

The takeover came together under intense time pressure. The Flemish government closed the Sport Vlaanderen centre nearly a year ago because it was losing money and the government wanted to cut costs. Blankenberge then approved a rescue plan to prevent local sports clubs from suddenly losing their facilities.

Urban Gardens normally allows about three years to prepare an operation of this scale. This time, Coeman said, the company had only six months. Several local sports clubs are starting their activities on the site, so the operator wants to limit disruption in the coming days and weeks. The new team includes some former employees of the centre as well as new staff.

We want the sports clubs that are used to coming here to experience as little disruption as possible in the coming days and weeks.

— Parcifal CoemanCoeman discussed maintaining continuity for local clubs.

Urban Gardens plans to invest around 10 million euros by 2031 to turn the site into a sports and family meeting place. The project includes a glamping facility with lodges for 50 people, a field with 50 camper pitches, and modernization of the existing youth accommodation used by sports camps and schools. Much of the sports infrastructure will also be extensively renovated.

First, the glamping and camper site are on the schedule, together with a brand-new brasserie where the canteen is now.

— Parcifal CoemanHe outlined the project’s first construction priorities.

The first planned works include the glamping area, the camper site and a new brasserie in the current canteen. Coeman hopes to obtain the necessary permits around the turn of the year and begin work soon afterward, with parts of the project potentially ready by next summer. The main investment programme will run for four years, but Coeman said investment will continue beyond that.

But there is no end point. We will continue investing after that as well.

— Parcifal CoemanCoeman said investment would continue after the four-year programme.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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