The municipality of Vilvoorde is opposing the Flemish Government's plans to redevelop the northern Brussels Ring Road, which it believes threatens to make its surrounding areas "unliveable."
Mayor of Vilvoorde Hans Bonte explained that he originally approved the expansion plans under certain conditions, but says that the government "did not care about them."
Bonte told the Belga News Agency that Vilvoorde’s municipal council will continue to reject the project until their demands are met.
Most of the municipality’s issues are due to the areas in Vilvoorde chosen as potential construction sites. "These neighbourhoods risk being reclassified as construction site zones over the next 20 years," he told Het Nieuwsblad.
These works also risk impacting local traffic with the mayor explaining that the lack of a direct connection between Chaussée de Waterloo and the E19 "will cause indigestible traffic disruption not only in the short term but also structurally."
Bonte’s main argument against these plans, however, remains the "underestimated" noise levels and pollution, especially of fine dust, that will emerge from these works. According to the mayor, this "threatens to make the underlying areas unliveable."
It remains to be seen how the local opposition will impact the government’s plans to expand the northern Brussels Ring Road. However, Vilvoorde’s municipal council seems willing to continue fighting against the project, whose environmental permit will only be issued in the first half of next year.
