A permit has been awarded to the French company Arkose to open their second location in Brussels where climbing enthusiasts can boulder.
Arkose, the company behind the climbing centre on Brussels' Allée Verte near the canal in the north of Brussels, previously revealed its plans for another bouldering hall earlier this year. The project has now been given the green light.
Bouldering is a branch of rock climbing which sees people climb without ropes or harnesses over safety mats at low heights (up to 4.5 metres high), meaning it requires a lot of strength.
A permit for the project was granted by the Brussels-Capital Region on 30 May, according to the openpermits.brussels database. The centre will open on Rue Eugène Verheggen on the border between Saint-Gilles and Forest, near the prison.
Arkose's climbing centre by the Brussels Canal. Credit: Arkose Canal / Facebook
The former garage located at the address will be transformed into a bouldering hall of 2,325 square metres, slightly smaller than Arkose's existing climbing centre in the Belgian capital. The space will be divided into one section for adults and another for children. The walls will be approximately 4.9 metres high.
The permit also includes the creation of an adjacent restaurant and bar and 30 parking spaces for bicycles. As detailed in the permit application, the company will be obliged to create a permeable area and plant a tree onsite, as well as modify the front facade, replace the garage door and convert one window into an emergency door.
Construction is expected to commence in September 2024, and the centre is expected to open to the public in June 2025. Arkose runs a total of 25 climbing centres across Europe.
Overall, there are 19 climbing centres in the Brussels-Capital Region.
