Blue Gate Antwerp: new life on the Scheldt

At first glance, a site with such a rich past seems to offer more bottlenecks than opportunities, in many areas: archaeology, environmental impact assessment, soil investigation, mobility, heritage, real estate, public procurement legislation… Not least, the water issue – surface water, suspended water, groundwater, wastewater, process water, drinking water and rain water, but also Scheldt water – was a major concern. Piece by piece, the bottlenecks were identified. In a multidisciplinary project with various cooperating parties, they will be converted into opportunities. The project is being realised through a public-private partnership (PPP) in which the city (through AG VESPA), PMV and De Vlaamse waterweg, together with private partner Blue O’pen, are investing in the construction of a new public domain and the decontamination and preparation of the sites for building.

Realisations

In 2014, works started on the construction of a water-bound cluster quay, converting the existing quay wall into a loading and unloading quay. It was inaugurated at the end of 2015. With 220,000 tonnes of goods to be loaded and unloaded, it takes about 9,000 trucks off the road. Also in 2015, Blue Gate Antwerp welcomed the company Bexco. It concluded a 30-year ground lease agreement with Blue Gate Antwerp for a 1.1-hectare site on which it built a new facility. The Hamme-based company produces ropes for the offshore industry.

Redevelopment

In February 2016, the contract for the redevelopment of the site was awarded to the Blue O’pen Consortium. Blue O’pen has three main contractors: two DEME Group companies and real estate consultant Bopro. The consortium further relies on Van Moer Stevedoring, Montea and City Depot for logistics, on Cofely (energy), Quares (park management), VITO and UAntwerpen (for R&D steering and support) and on Studiegroep Omgeving for spatial planning and permits. The total development cost of the PPP project area was estimated at 58 million euros at the time (remediation works: 22 million euros). A phased development with maximum alignment of marketing revenues with costs allowed for a significant reduction in investments.

Amazon

One of the companies that will operate in the field is Amazon. The US web giant will open an energy-efficient delivery centre in late 2022 to meet growing demand and expand the capacity of its delivery network. It will manage the station itself and build out its own network of small and medium-sized parcel delivery companies. For the development of the delivery station (8,438 m²), Amazon is calling on Montea, partner for the development of the logistics zone at Blue Gate Antwerp. The new site will be Amazon’s first development in Belgium. It chose Blue Gate Antwerp for its strategic location that serves both the city centre and the wider area around Antwerp. The new station is part of a larger site that Montea is developing as an urban logistics park on Belgium’s first eco-effective, water-bound business park. The building aims to achieve an “Excellent” BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certification. With its arrival, Amazon also endorses the establishment conditions applicable to the site. In addition, a tailor-made development plan is drawn up with each operator, including Amazon, setting out the specific operator’s line of growth and any working points. All this in order to not only achieve but also maintain the high ambitions in terms of sustainability. As a result, Amazon will eventually operate all city logistics with CO2-neutral electric vehicles. Sustainable mobility will also be maximally implemented during the project’s site phase, with the majority of the building’s 32,000m² of vaults being delivered by boat.

Flemish support

Both the Flemish Region and De Lijn are planning investments to connect the site to roads and public transport. The Innovation & Enterprise Agency is paying 85% of the infrastructure costs and subsidising the relocation of the logistics zone. There is also money from the Heritage Agency for the restoration of the protected shed and piperacks on the site. The Flemish Region also provided the necessary funds to acquire the former FSI land, specifically 6 million euros. The realised brownfield covenant also brings a number of financial benefits: for example, no registration fees have to be paid to the Flemish Region and no financial guarantee has to be provided. Finally, Waterwegen en Zeekanaal (W&Z) paid 12.8 million euros for the stabilisation and raising of the quay wall at the site, as part of the updated Sigma Plan. This made the construction of the cluster quay possible.

PMV’s role

PMV’s multidisciplinary team helped shape the structure and organisation of the partnership. To this end, PMV set up the project company Blue Gate Antwerp in 2007. Parallel to the operation of the project company, we periodically check the evolution of this area development with local residents, with all the administrations involved and with the political level. Such a shared partnership leads to better social, administrative and political support.

Other partners

Blue Gate Antwerp is a realisation of the Flemish investment company PMV, Waterwegen & Zeekanaal, the municipal urban development company AG Vespa and the city of Antwerp’s Enterprise & City Marketing/Work and Economy agency. They are working together to develop and rehabilitate the site. The project is being realised with financial support from Agentschap Ondernemen and Interreg IVB North-West Europe.