Schipdonk Canal: Demir starts formal process for canceling reservation lanes

It concerns the cancellation of the full double reservation in West and East Flanders in Bruges, Damme, Knokke-Heist, Deinze, Eeklo, Lievegem, Maldegem and Sint-Laureins. From September 12 to November 10, 2023, everyone can view the start memorandum at the municipalities and submit a response. Those who have questions about the GRUP can visit two consultation moments in Damme and in Eeklo.

“The Schipdonk Canal will not be widened in the future. We are definitively scrapping the reservation lanes that were indicated on the regional plans in East and West Flanders. Residents and owners have had to wait too long for legal certainty about their home or business,” says Minister Zuhal Demir, Flemish Minister for the Environment. “After the preparation of a regional Spatial Implementation Plan, there will no longer be any question of the so-called distance of added value. This arrangement had been unbearable and unjust for many years for many residents. Those people can then renovate their home and maintain it properly, just like everyone else, “explains Demir.

Solution: agreement with the Netherlands on Estuaire Vaart

In the past, it was considered to widen the Schipdonk Canal to better connect the port of Zeebrugge with the hinterland. But the widening of the Schipdonk Canal is no longer desirable from a policy point of view. The Flemish Government has concluded a declaration of intent with the Dutch Government and the federal level on the development of estuary navigation. This means that inland vessels will be equipped to reach the ports of Ghent and Antwerp via the North Sea and the Western Scheldt.. Thanks to the agreement with the Netherlands, it is no longer necessary to widen the Schipdonk Canal. The Schipdonk Canal will continue to play its role in water management in the future, which is important in the context of the challenges of climate change.

Strengthen landscape and natural value

Now that the widening of the Schipdonk Canal has been completed, the scenic value of the Schipdonk Canal can be enhanced. The touristic and recreational value for cyclists and walkers will be able to develop further. At the same time, we are working on the protection of heritage values, including at the Siphon in Damme. We also seize the opportunity to adjust the underlying land uses on the regional plan so that they are in line with the existing or desired functions and activities. The existing agricultural use along the canal can now also be legally insured.