Antwerp port expansion plans in question

The government’s plans for the extension of the port of Antwerp are hanging in the balance after yesterday’s recommendation by the Auditor of the Council of State that the entire plan should be scrapped.

The auditor was giving his opinion in a case brought by the activist group Doel2020. His advice is not binding on the final decision of the Council of State, but it is almost always followed.

Doel is a village on the left bank of the Scheldt, across the provincial border from Antwerp in East Flanders. Its continued existence has been under threat from port expansion since the 1960s; in the meantime, several other villages have been depopulated and demolished for port expansion.

Doel is down to 188 official residents, reinforced by activists and protesters occupying the village to prevent further demolition from taking place.

The Flemish government’s Regional Planning Programme (GRUP) removes Doel’s status as residential area and allows its demolition to make way for the new Saeftinghe dock. The plan also sees the hamlets of Ouden Doel and Rapenburg disappearing, and turns the northern Doel polder into a nature area. The nuclear power plant at Doel would remain.

The full Council of State is expected to hear statement from both sides starting this Friday, with a decision due in December. If the council were to follow the auditor, the government would be forced to come up with a new plan taking account of the legal objections.

“As long as the procedure is under way, we do not wish to pre-empt any decision,” said the Port Authority, pointing out that planned private investments will now be at risk because of “legal uncertainty”.

“It’s a question of waiting for the council to decide whether they will actually follow the advice,” said Marc Van de Vijver, mayor of Beveren, which now includes the territory of Doel. “We have nothing to say, since we are not a party to the action.”

“Doel2020 is delighted to see that our arguments were followed by the auditor,” commented Jan Creve, spokesman for the group. “We hope the Flemish government will now … recognise the futility of this port expansion. Hundreds of people have been forced out of their homes for no reason and with no purpose.”