Flanders wants more public swimming pools and that they become more energy efficient. Weyts previously came up with a plan to increase the number of new swimming pools. But he also wants to make the existing swimming pools more energy efficient to prevent them from closing.
“We had already invested 18 million euros, so that 28 swimming pools are assured of an energy-efficient future and can therefore remain open. We are now allocating another 6 million euros to make 10 existing swimming pools more energy efficient,” Weyts explains.
Flanders will bear 60 percent of the total investment costs per project. A single swimming pool can receive up to 600,000 euros in support to take energy-saving measures, such as installing new windows, improving insulation or installing solar boilers.
Weyts believes it is important to invest in swimming pools. “Learning to swim is one of the minimum goals in primary education. There must therefore be sufficient swimming pools in the area. This has been under pressure in recent years. Now we are starting a change with new swimming pools and energy-efficient investments in existing swimming pools.”
