Rotselaar (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – For the third time, action group Semper Ferraris has successfully blocked plans to parcelize an old forest along Heirbaan in Rotselaar, citing preservation concerns.
A concession to build homes in the forest has been granted by the Flemish Brabant province in Belgium. But the Rotselaar municipality has declared a development freeze. On appeal, the action group prevailed.
The mobility of citizens Semper Ferraris is dedicated to protecting forests, particularly those near Rotselaar. They have already won their third battle by halting the latest development on the Heirstraat.
“It was about the development of a piece of forest into several homes,”
explains Philip Croes, chairman of Semper Ferraris.
“The owner’s request went against the municipality’s policy, because a subdivision freeze was introduced a while ago,”
says Philip.
“But because it had not yet been incorporated into a Spatial Implementation Plan, the owner still received permission from the province. Fortunately, the Council for Permit Disputes sees that this makes no sense.”
“This is very important to us,”
says Philip.
“The Council has ruled that you may not deviate from the subdivision ban unless you have a very good reason for doing so. In this way, we have set a precedent. Bizarrely enough, the province decided a few months ago to follow the subdivision stop in another case.
You may expect a government to be consistent in its decisions, otherwise you as a citizen do not know what to expect.”
The action group was able to stop the divide, but the forest has already been cleared in part.
“The cutting permit had already been issued, which means that quite a few trees have already been lost,”
says Philip.
“It’s a shame of course, but the cut down forest is still a young part of the forest. The loss could have been greater. The owner must replant the cut down forest.”
How did Action group Semper Ferraris succeed in stopping the development?
Through an appeal against the Flemish Brabant province’s house construction permit, the action group Semper Ferraris was able to halt development in the forest along the Heirbaan.
Despite the permit being issued by the province, the municipality of Rotselaar declared that development in the area would not proceed. Semper Ferraris successfully appealed the permit, thus stopping the proposed building.
Their accomplishments are indicative of the larger function of local action groups in Flanders’ forest protection, where they employ public awareness campaigns, political involvement, and judicial appeals to keep precious forests safe from development.
To support their claims, these organizations frequently invoke current local ordinances, development moratoria, and environmental laws like the Forest Decree and associated compensation guidelines.
