Bruges (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In Zwankendamme near Bruges, locals oppose a 200m wind turbine by Luminus, just 230m from homes. Despite the new 600m distance rules, Flanders approved it. Bruges official Goderis objects.
As VRT News reported, in Zwankendamme, a small village near Bruges, there’s a lot of local opposition to a wind turbine project. The energy company Luminus wants to build a massive turbine, which would be 200 meters high. The plan is to put it on an industrial site within the port area, but it’s very close to homes.
The closest house is only 230 meters away, and the village centre is just 400 meters away. Residents are protesting because they believe the project goes against the spirit of the new Flemish regulations.
These rules say wind turbines should be at least 3 times their height away from homes, which would be 600 meters in this case. People are worried about their health, the noise, and how the turbine will look so close to their houses. They feel the government’s rules are meant to prevent this kind of intrusion.
Does port status allow wind turbines close to villages?
Despite the local worries, the Flemish government approved the wind turbine. They used a special rule for industrial areas like ports. The area is considered an “economic core area,” which means the rules are more flexible. These areas are important for industry and energy, so they get priority for renewable energy projects.
Officials say the turbine’s impact is less of a problem here compared to residential areas because there’s already a lot of industrial activity. However, people in Zwankendamme feel their village is being overlooked for the region’s energy plans, especially since the port is so close to their homes.
In Zwankendamme, a village near Bruges, people are angry about a new wind turbine. The government approved it even though it’s close to the village centre. This goes against what the Flemish Environment Minister said recently about keeping turbines far from homes.
A city official from Bruges is very critical, saying he doesn’t know of any other turbine so close to a village in Flanders. They worry the turbine will make life worse in Zwankendamme, which already deals with problems from being near the port. They mentioned that Bruges has been working to make life better in its port villages, but this turbine approval seems to go against those efforts.
According to officials, Bruges is usually good at wind energy, but now it’s against a new project. The city feels this project was not planned well and ignores the village. Goderis says the city supports wind energy, but not like this, as it doesn’t consider the village’s needs. The city will fight the permit, arguing it breaks new rules and affects the village.
