Middelkerke (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A planned road between Slipe and Middelkerke, including a bridge, faces opposition from “No Job Through Our Polders.” Protesters claim political pressure, but N-VA denies it. The vote will happen next week.
A meeting about a new road in Middelkerke, province of West Flanders, Belgium was held in Bruges on March 18, 2025. A group called “No Job Through Our Polders” protested outside the meeting. They don’t want the road because it will affect the local landscape and farmland.
According to Geert Ampe, a spokesperson for the group, the road is being pushed through because of political pressure. He thinks that Jean-Marie Dedecker, a politician, might have helped get the road approved in exchange for support in the election. Ampe believes that the road isn’t just part of a long-term plan, but is also a result of political maneuvering.
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Kelly Detavernier, a politician from the N-VA party, denied the claims about political pressure. She said the idea for the road came up in 2018, long before Jean-Marie Dedecker was mayor. She said the project has been planned for years and is a normal process for big projects. Detavernier says the road is needed because of the community’s needs, not because of any political deals.
She mentioned that people are worried about how to balance economic growth and protecting the environment. People are concerned about how decisions are made, how much influence politics has on city planning, and how to make sure that economic growth doesn’t affect the environment.
We suspect that there is pressure from above, from the N-VA, to build the road at all costs,
says Geert Ampe of the action committee.
A new road is being planned to connect Slipe and the centre of Middelkerke. The town leaders say the road is needed to help traffic flow better. The plan includes a new bridge over the Plassendale-Niewpoort canal. The new road will go through farmland and a nature reserve. But some people are against the plan. They say the road isn’t needed and that it will harm the environment.
According to officials, even though people are against it, the new road is probably going to be built. The provincial council will vote on the plans next week. The group “No Job Through Our Polders” says they won’t stop fighting. If the council approves the road, the group will try to stop it in court.
Last summer, the group “No Job Through Our Polders” paid for a study to look at traffic on the roads between the E40 highway and Middelkerke. They wanted to see if the town leaders were right about needing a new road to help traffic.
The study found that there isn’t a traffic problem. Geert Ampe, from the group, said the study shows the new road isn’t needed. The group thinks the town leaders are building the road for other reasons, not because of traffic.
