After years of wrangling, the ball is in the court: Logistics Park Moerdijk is coming after all. The Council of State gave the green light for the controversial business park on Thursday morning.
There have been discussions about the arrival of Logistics Park Moerdijk since 2009. Last year, the court put a line through the plans because the business park would not meet the nitrogen ruling. The province of Brabant had to clarify the extent to which the project would affect the surrounding Natura 2000 areas. Brabant decided in recent months to take over the nitrogen emissions of companies that cease operations. On balance, the project would then not generate additional nitrogen. With this ecological justification, the Council of State saw no reason to block the project.
Read also: Outcry over North Brabant's 'cowboy behaviour' at Moerdijk Logistics Park
'Capital wins'
The reactions to the ruling were relieved at the provincial government building and the Moerdijk town hall. Protesting local residents and nature lovers were disappointed. A victory for capital, believes Wim Rijnart, chairman of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Moerdijk Outlying Area (Stichting Behoud Buitengebied Moerdijk). "On paper, the province has finally sealed the deal. And the Council of State only looks at paper, not at nature," Rijnart told BN de Stem. "This new environmental polluter had to and would come from the province and the municipality."
170 million euros
Logistic Park Moerdijk is to become a completely gas-free business park on 142 hectares of land, the A16/A17. The realisation involves an investment of 170 million euros. With the project, the province aims to strengthen the position of the West Brabant region in the handling of containers coming from the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.
Companies in line
Controversial project or not, companies are queuing up for a place on Logistic Park Moerdijk. Port Authority director Ferdinand van den Oever told BN de Stem that his phone has been ringing off the hook since the ruling. Especially international companies are said to be interested. In five years, the final phase of construction should be completed. By that time, according to Van den Oever, Logistic Park Moerdijk will offer space to a "dozen international companies employing four to five thousand people".
