Belgium’s Council of State on Thursday threw out three petitions lodged by sports associations, environmental organisations and the city of Nieuport against a commercial sea farm Colruyt is developing along the coast.
The supermarket group had already received the go-ahead to continue work on the project at summary proceedings in March. The plaintiffs submitted appeals against that decision to the Council of State, which has now turned them down.
The city of Nieuport had expressed opposition to the project since October 2020, fearing that, given its location, it would hamper the circulation of fishing vessels as well as pleasure boats. It thus turned to the Council of State to contest, primarily, the environmental permit issued to Colruyt by the North Sea Ministry. So did local fishers and three sailing clubs.
Nieuport Mayor Geert Vanden Broucke described the location of the project, two kilometres from the port's channel, as a “disaster” for fishing and tourism in his city.
Colruyt, for its part, made no secret of its satisfaction on Thursday. After checking whether “all legal procedures had been properly followed in the granting of licences for Zone C, the Council of State felt everything had been done correctly,” it commented. “All legal proceedings against the sea farm project are now closed. We are relieved to be able to pursue our investments in this innovative project.”
The supermarket group hopes to be able to take part in the 2023 mussels season and offer Belgian mussels for the first time in its stores.
