Auditor supports appeal ‘Don’t surround Anzegem’
The action committee ‘Don’t surround Anzegem’ says that the auditor encourages the Council of State to declare the appeal for annulment of the diversion road admissible and well-founded. Consequently, according to the opinion, the Council should quash the contested decision. At the end of 2021, despite the protest, the provincial council decided to continue with the project to divert heavy traffic on a new road around Anzegem. The protest group then appealed.
Environmental effects
The auditor cites various arguments related to the environment in order to stop the plans. According to the advice, a preliminary test to estimate nitrogen emissions is missing, as is a similar study to examine the effect on the special protection zone ‘Forests of the Flemish Ardennes and other South Flemish forests’. Furthermore, the environmental effects of ‘zero plus alternatives’ were not considered and were not included in the EIA report. A zero plus alternative represents the scenario in which there is no new road, but the existing road infrastructure improves.
According to ‘Omring Anzegem Niet’, the Board will most likely follow the advice of the auditor. They expect a final decision within a few months. Some of the residents in Anzegem support a new diversion road to keep the busy traffic out of the village centre.