Plopsaqua#Plopsaqua Mechelen

{{Infobox amusement park

| name = Plopsaqua De Panne

| opening_date = {{Start date and age|2015|3|22}}

| owner = Plopsa

| theme = Vic the Viking

| location3 = Belgium

| location = De Panne

| image = 260px

}}

At the beginning of the 2010s, Plopsa was looking into turning its flagship park Plopsaland into an all-weather-resort. They wanted to reach this goal by opening an indoor themepark, theatre, hotel and waterpark. Around the same time the municipality of De Panne was looking to replace their municipal swimming pool. Both parties decided to merge their plans, in which Plopsa would build, own and operate the facility and the municipality would pay Plopsa €750,000 each year for a period of 20 years in exchange for which the municipality could use the facility and residents would pay a reduced price.{{Cite web|title=Meer dan 2,7 miljoen bezoekers voor Plopsa-parken in 2011|url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20120111_146|access-date=2021-04-04|website=Het Nieuwsblad|language=nl-BE}}{{Cite web|title=De Panne en Plopsaland bouwen samen zwembad|url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/9q3gfjji|access-date=2021-04-04|website=Het Nieuwsblad|language=nl-BE}}

In July 2012 Plopsa filed their permit, which was granted in October of that same year. The construction started in October 2013 and the facility was opened during the 15th anniversary of the resort in March 2015.{{Cite web|date=2014-12-23|title=Plopsaqua|url=https://themeparkfreaks.eu/nieuw-2015/plopsaqua/|access-date=2021-04-06|website=Themeparkfreaks|language=nl}}

{{Infobox amusement park

| name = Plopsaqua Hannut-Landen

| opening_date = Sports pool
{{Start date and age|2020|12|11}}
Waterpark
{{Start date and age|2021|06|09}}

| owner = Plopsa

| theme = Maya the Bee and Bumba

| location3 = Belgium

| location = Hannut

| image = 260px

}}

After the opening of Plopsaqua De Panne, Plopsa started looking at other locations in Belgium for waterparks that could also function as a municipal swimming pool. Around the same period the Hannut and Landen municipalities were looking for a solution for their outdated municipal swimming pools. After a tendering procedure Plopsa was awarded the concession in 2017, with a location in Hannut at the language border with Flanders. The project would cost €22.5 million and the municipalities would each contribute €480,000 each year for a period of 25 years.{{Cite web|date=2018-02-09|title=Un nouveau Plopsaqua s'ouvrira à Hannut à l'horizon 2020|url=https://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/liege/detail_un-nouveau-plopsaqua-s-ouvrira-a-hannut-a-l-horizon-2020?id=9835644|access-date=2021-04-05|website=RTBF Info|language=fr}}

In 2018 Plopsa submitted the permit application, which had to be adjusted on a number of points - such as the color of the slides and the exterior - in order to fit better into the environment. The province approved the plans in February 2019 and construction started in May of the same year. The waterpark is themed after Maya the Bee and Bumba, but the municipal pool has a neutral appearance.{{Cite web|date=2019-02-12|title=Bouw Aquapark Plopsa kan in mei starten|url=https://www.hln.be/landen/bouw-aquapark-plopsa-kan-in-mei-starten~a7744aa7/|access-date=2021-04-05|website=Het Laatste Nieuws}}{{Cite web|last=Dekeyzer|first=Vanessa|date=2019-11-07|title=Bouw van Plopsaqua Landen-Hannuit gaat de hoogte in|url=https://www.hln.be/landen/bouw-van-plopsaqua-landen-hannuit-gaat-de-hoogte-in~a90110a0/|access-date=2021-04-05|website=Het Laatste Nieuws}}

The opening of the waterpark was scheduled for December 5 of 2020, however the COVID-19 figures were not positive enough, so the Belgian federal government could not give permission to attraction- and waterparks to reopen. However, sports pools were given an exception and these were allowed to reopen with measures. Plopsa decided to open the Plopsaqua Landen-Hannut sports pool on 11 December 2020. The rest of the waterpark followed on 9 June 2021.{{Cite web|title=De Sint brengt dit jaar ook een nieuw aquapark: Plopsa plant opening op 5 december|url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20201022_94574299|access-date=2021-04-05|website=www.nieuwsblad.be|language=nl-BE}}{{Cite web|title=Plopsaqua Hannuit-Landen opent gedeeltelijk op 11 december|url=https://www.hbvl.be/cnt/dmf20201205_97826264|access-date=2021-04-05|website=www.hbvl.be|language=nl-BE}}

In Germany the group is looking for a waterpark next to their Holiday Park, for this project Plopsa also wanted to participate with the local authorities. Several proposals were given, but were cancelled in a referendum. In an interview Steve Van den Kerkhof (CEO Plopsa) announced that they would build the waterpark with or without funding from the municipality.{{Citation|title=Wasserpark Haßloch: Interview mit Steve Van den Kerkhof|url=https://www.facebook.com/holidaypark.uptodate/videos/wasserpark-ha%C3%9Floch-interview-mit-steve-van-den-kerkhof/1652660351460988/|language=en|access-date=2021-04-05}} In December 2021 Plopsa officially announced the creation of the waterpark, that would consist of a 4,000 m² indoor themed area with a wave pool, a white water river, a water playground, slides, a sports pool and an outdoor area.{{Cite web|title=Holiday Park baut eigenen Wasserpark|url=https://www.plopsanews.com/de/pressemitteilungen/holiday-park-baut-eigenen-wasserpark|access-date=2021-12-22|website=Plopsa News|language=de}} This plan was abandoned in December 2023 when Plopsa reached an agreement with the manicipality of Haßloch. The group will replace the outdated municipal swimming pool and create new themed facilities on the same site.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-14 |title=Badepark: Gemeinderat nimmt Plopsa-Angebot an - Haßloch |url=https://www.rheinpfalz.de/lokal/neustadt_artikel,-badepark-gemeinderat-nimmt-plopsa-angebot-an-_arid,5589925.html |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=www.rheinpfalz.de |language=de}}

In June 2022 it was announced that a waterpark is to be constructed next to the indoor theme park {{ill|Majaland Warsaw|fr|Majaland Warszawa|pl|Majaland Warszawa}} by Plopsa and Momentum Capital, the owners and operators of aforementioned theme park. The waterpark will be owned for 21% by Plopsa and 79% by Momentum Capital.{{Cite web |last=Mantel |first=Roy |title=Momentum Leisure start vierde themapark in Polen met Franse partners Nhood en Ceetrus |trans-title=Momentum Leisure launches fourth theme park in Poland with French partners Nhood and Ceetrus |url=https://momentumcapital.nl/nieuws/momentum-leisure-start-vierde-themapark-in-polen/ |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=Momentum Capital |language=nl-NL}}

During a corruption investigation to a city official of The Hague in 2019 it was discovered that Plopsa was actively searching for a new site in The Netherlands to expand with a Plopsaqua and a possible second Plopsa Indoor. During an interview with RTL Nieuws Steve Van den Kerkhof confirmed this and that Plopsa was in talks with the city of The Hague, but that they were also investigating other sites in The Netherlands. The company also registered the [https://www.plopsaquadenhaag.nl/ URL].{{Cite web |date=2019-11-14 |title=Plopsa wil waterpark in Den Haag bouwen |trans-title=Plopsa wants to build waterpark in The Hague |url=https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/editienl/artikel/4920916/plopsa-wil-waterpark-den-haag-bouwen |access-date=2021-04-04 |website=RTL Nieuws |language=nl}} In August 2022 it was announced that the waterpark has been cancelled by Plopsa.{{Cite web |title='Komst Plopsaland naar Den Haag definitief van de baan' |trans-title=Arrival of Plopsaland to The Hague is definitely off track |url=https://voorburgsdagblad.nl/Den%20Haag%20&%20Regio/komst-plopsaland-naar-den-haag-definitief-van-de-baan |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=voorburgsdagblad.nl |language=nl}}

In 2020 the mayor of Zandhoven Luc Van Hove announced that he was in contact with Plopsa for a Plopsaqua facility, this to the dismay of the city council. The mayors of Zandhoven and Zoersel had meetings with Plopsa before the start of a tendering procedure in which a binding offer was made, once the tendering procedure was started the requirements were almost identical to the offer of Plopsa. All meetings and the binding offer were kept in the dark from the city councils, an opposition party started a petition to stop the new facility in 2021.{{Cite web |title=Plopsaqua Pulderbos? "Plopsa toont interesse door onze ligging" |url=https://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20201218_96499240 |access-date=2021-04-05 |website=www.gva.be |language=nl-BE}}{{Cite web |date=2021-01-08 |title=Schepencolleges Zoersel en Zandhoven misleiden gemeenteraad na geheime afspraken met Plopsaqua |url=https://www.apache.be/2021/01/08/schepencolleges-zoersel-en-zandhoven-misleiden-gemeenteraad-na-geheime-afspraken-met-plopsaqua/ |access-date=2021-04-05 |website=Apache |language=nl-BE}} In June 2023 the former swimming facility closed permanently and it was announced that there weren't any plans for its replacement.{{Cite web |last=Matthyssen |first=Kristin |date=6 June 2023 |title=Einde van tijdperk: zwembad Pulderbos gaat nooit meer open, sluiting is definitief |url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20230622_92912575 |website=Hey Nieuwsblad}}

File:Plopsaqua-mechelen.pngThe city of Mechelen and Plopsa started investigating Plopsaqua Mechelen in 2015.{{Cite web |title=Stad hoopt op investering in Plopsaqua aan Vrijbroekpark |url=https://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20151020_01930198 |access-date=2021-04-04 |website=Gazet van Antwerpen |language=nl-BE}}{{Cite web |title=Krijgt Mechelen met Plopsaqua het grootste waterpark van België? |url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20171219_03251598 |access-date=2021-04-04 |website=De Standaard |language=nl-BE}} Several locations throughout the city were looked at, but the consortium picked a spot behind Technopolis. Plopsa submitted a permit application in February 2022 with a planned opening at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025, pending on the approval time. The facility, which shall be called Plopsaqua Mechelen Zennebad, shall consist of several slides, a wave pool, two sports pools, an outdoor pool and an instruction pool. The wave pool shall be themed to Kabouter Plop, Samson and Bumba, the public facilities will get a neutral theme.{{Cite web |title=Plopsaqua Mechelen onthult plannen van 50 miljoen: "We bouwen misschien wel het mooiste waterpretpark van Europa" |trans-title=We are building perhaps the most beautiful waterpark in Europe |url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20220224_94789497 |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=Het Nieuwsblad |language=nl-BE}} In September 2022 Plopsa withdrew its permit application after two negative remarks of the Provincial Environmental Licensing Committee. The company stated that it still commits to the project, but that several changes are being worked on.{{Cite web |last=NWS |first=VRT |date=2022-09-20 |title=Plopsa Group trekt bouwaanvraag voor derde waterpretpark in Mechelen in |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2022/09/20/bouwaanvraag-plopsaqua/ |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=vrtnws.be |language=nl}} The city of Mechelen issued a permit for the complex to Plopsa in June 2024, with an estimated opening in 2026.{{Cite web |last=NWS |first=VRT |date=2024-06-04 |title=Plopsaqua in Mechelen heeft na 6 jaar vergunning beet: bouw start in september |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2024/06/04/plopsaqua-mechelen/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=vrtnws.be |language=nl}} In december 2024 Plopsa announced that they have cancelled the project, due to legal uncertainty and a changed economic context.{{Cite web |last=NWS |first=VRT |date=2024-12-12 |title=Geen Plopsaqua zwemparadijs in Mechelen: Plopsa bergt plannen op na jaren juridische strijd |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2024/12/12/geen-plopsaqua-in-mechelen-plopsa-bergt-plannen-op/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=vrtnws.be |language=nl}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.plopsaqua.be Plopsaqua official website]

{{coord missing|Belgium}}

Category:Amusement parks in Belgium

Category:Tourist attractions in Belgium