Aalbeke (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In Aalbeke, people show high resistance to any type of quarry, especially a clay pit quarry that may be set up nearby.
Around a hundred residents showed up to an information meeting to express their concerns over the application by Bosschaert, a Kortrijk-based demolition and road works firm, for a permit to mine clay in Doomanstraat.
People in Aalbeke also oppose another proposal from Bosschaert to establish a clay pit since they believe it will be a place where contaminated soil will be dumped. Another plan is to boycott on January 26 to protest against the application and protect their area. The earlier bid by Bosschaert that led to the planning of a clay pit in Aalbeke was met with a lot of resistance from the people, who lodged 300 objections, and 1000 signed a petition against the plan.
Valcke highlighted the ongoing apprehension among residents, stating,
“The neighbourhood then also took to the streets.“
Present issues relate to possible impacts arising from traffic in relation to the clay pit activities, as well as questions on how the site would be reinstated upon completion of the extraction. Residents are particularly wary of what they perceive as a “double agenda,” suggesting that Bosschaert’s renewed application is less about mining clay and more about creating a dumping site for contaminated soil resulting from their demolition activities.
The community is concerned that the operation may not be cost-effective and may end up being a place where companies dump their contaminated soil. One of the local residents, Pieter Valcke, observed this:
“We now feel that we have seen this somewhere before“.
Similarly, the same company had applied to construct the plant about 10 years ago. The company finally pulled the app since they thought the appeal process was going to take a long time.
In order to express their disagreement with the project, the inhabitants of Aalbeke have proposed to carry out a march against the construction of the clay pit on January 26, describing themselves as the keepers of the environment and vowing not to let the company execute the project that, in their opinion, would harm the planet.
Previous applications and community mobilisation
The current scenario is indicative of a continuation of the societal conflict between power plants and industries around communities in Belgium. Another application by Bosschaert for a clay pit was also declined after a flurry of public protest with people powering their way through change. This new application elicits the above-listed fears due to previous incidents whereby residents did not feel their fears were catered for.
Mining operations pose a threat to the environment, both in terms of soil pollution and traffic congestion, which has provoked concern. In addition, the problems that affect Aalbeke are not exceptional since many neighbourhoods in Belgium have been facing the same challenges arising from corporations’ desire to extract natural resources as people’s awareness of the environment increases. The residents’ concern with economic feasibility issues brings to question issues of sustainability of such projects and their relevance to the community.
On this last point, while they prepare for their protest march, local activists are speaking for their neighbourhood. Still, at the same time, they are questioning certain forms of corporate activities from within industrial practices that imply a misconception of responsibility when it comes to environmental sustainability.
Therefore, the occurrence in Aalbeke is a valuable lesson about the public’s role in decisions affecting development in specific locales. Opposing Bosschaert’s plan, residents urge for proper consultation between businesses and the public so that careless economic activities do not further endanger residents’ health and the environment.
