The city of Ostend asked the Flemish government to no longer protect part of the protected dune landscape at Fort Napoleon as heritage. Project developer Versluys wants to build two residential towers on the Oosteroever in that area. The company was previously convicted for illegally dumping stone rubble on the site.
According to Jeremie Vaneeckhout, the minister must treat that file with the necessary caution. “I find it difficult to understand that a heritage landscape can disappear. What is the added value of protection if we as a government fail to preserve these landscapes in their value?” he says. “Moreover, it seems defensible to me that procedures for termination are not initiated when unlawful acts have previously been committed.”
