- Title: BELGIUM: Brussels angered by new flight paths over city
- Date: 5th May 2014
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (RECENT) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF HOUSE AT SUNRISE BIRD SINGING FEET JUMPING UP AND DOWN ON TRAMPOLINE 10-YEAR-OLD CHARLOTTE JUMPING UP AND DOWN ON TRAMPOLINE BIRD HOPPING OFF BRANCH OF TREE ILSE SOLE-GETTEMAN AND HER HUSBAND MICHAEL SOLE STANDING IN BACK GARDEN OF HOUSE PLANE FLYING ABOVE HOUSE SOLE MEASURING NOISE LEVELS ON DECIBEL METER DEVICE SHOWING NOISE LEVELS FAMILY LOOKING UP AT PLANES PLANE FLYING POSTER OF PROTEST GROUP, AGAINST CHANGED FLIGHT PATHS READING (French): 'PLAN WATHELET. NO QUESTION!' (SOUNDBITE) (French) MICHAEL SOLE, ARCHITECT, SAYING: "I like to listen to the birds in the morning. That's why we came to live here. Now you have to close the window in the morning and you can't hear the birds anymore. It's a serious loss of the pleasure in our lives." PLANE FLYING ABOVE HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) ILSE SOLE-GETTEMAN, FINANCIAL ANALYST, SAYING: "I had never heard a single plane here before. But since February you can hear it. The noise. I feel unsafe. Why? Because we are directly under a starting route. You can hear the hellish noise. We feel bad at home. It triggers aggression. It continues the whole day - in the mornings, in the evenings, during the day. It never stops." PLANE FLYING ABOVE HOUSE SOLE SHOWING MAP OF BRUSSELS WITH FLIGHT ROUTES DRAWN OVER IT SOLE COMPARING OLD FLIGHT PATHS TO NEW ONES POSTER OF PROTEST GROUP ON HOUSE WINDOW POSTER OF PROTEST GROUP READING (French): 'SIGN THE PETITION. BRUSSELS IS NOT AN AIRSPACE.' PLANE FLYING ABOVE EUROPEAN COMMISSION BUILDING PLANE FLYING ABOVE ROOF OF EUROPEAN COMMISSION, PLANE SEEN THROUGH EU FLAGS PLANE FLYING ABOVE EU INSTITUTIONS BELGIAN GREEN MEMBER OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ISABELLE DURANT TALKING TO JOURNALIST NEXT TO SIGN READING (English): 'EUROPEAN ELECTIONS SINCE 1979.' (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN GREEN MEMBER OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ISABELLE DURANT, SAYING: "When the airport is very close to the city, you try to find the best way in order to decrease the risk of safety problems and decrease the risk of noise problems. In Brussels, we do the opposite. We try to have more problems with noise and more problems with safety. That's totally crazy." DIEGEM, BELGIUM (RECENT) (REUTERS) PLANE FLYING UP AND OVER HOUSE PLANE FLYING OVER ROOF PLANE FLYING OVER HOUSE PLANE FLYING BY CHURCH TOWER WEZEMBEEK-OPPEM, BELGIUM (RECENT) (REUTERS) POSTER OF PROTEST GROUP, IN FAVOUR OF CHANGED FLIGHT PATHS READING (French and Dutch) : 'EASTERN EDGE: CONCENTRATION, NEVER AGAIN! CONCENTRATION, NO MORE!' (SOUNDBITE) (French) MAYOR OF FLANDERS DISTRICT WEZEMBEEK-OPPEM, FREDERIC PETIT, SAYING: "I honestly understand why the people of Brussels are not happy, especially as there are other solutions and other flight paths which could be used, which go above lowly populated or industrial zones located in the north of Brussels." DIEGEM, BELGIUM (RECENT) (REUTERS) PLANE FLYING ABOVE HOUSES PLANE FLYING ABOVE HOUSE, DISPLAYING SIGN READING (Dutch): 'FOR SALE'
- Embargoed: 20th May 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Belgium
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: Nature / Environment,Transport
- Reuters ID: LVA267CXUCFKWCABDMP9P45E64R6
- Story Text: When Michael Sole and Ilse Sole-Getteman finished renovating their house ten years ago in the leafy residential quarter of Chant d'Oiseau in south-east Brussels, they thought they were living in paradise.
But, where once they could hear the birds sing and enjoy the peace and quiet of their garden, they are now forced to hear the noise of planes flying overhead.
They are one household out of many in Brussels to be left dismayed by the sharp increase in planes flying at low altitude over central parts of the city - a phenomenon that they argue simply does not exist in other European cities.
The couple has been hit particularly hard by the rising noise levels, as the change came just months after they bought a second property in what was previously a peaceful area in the city.
"I like to listen to the birds in the morning. That's why we came to live here. Now you have to close the window in the morning and you can't hear the birds anymore. It's a serious loss of our quality of life," said Mr Sole, who bought a decibel meter to keep tabs on sound levels.
The couple admitted that they would never have made the purchase, had they known about the Belgian government's plans to reroute flight paths over Brussels, with both of their homes now set to depreciate in value.
"I had never heard a single plane here before. But since February you can hear it. The noise. I feel unsafe. Why? Because we are directly under a starting route. You can hear the hellish noise. We feel bad at home. It triggers aggression. It continues the whole day - in the mornings, in the evenings, during the day. It never stops," said Mrs Sole-Getteman.
The 'Wathelet Plan' - named after its creator Melchior Wathelet, Belgium's secretary of state of environment, energy, mobility and institutional reforms - has redirected 30% of flight paths from Zaventem airport over the city, which used to pass over sparsely populated areas of Flanders east of Brussels.
The changes, which have been enforced since February 6, have resulted in one hundred flights per day passing at low altitude over highly populated districts in Brussels city as well as the EU institutions. Wathelet himself declined to comment on the reforms.
Nearly 14,000 activists have signed a petition to bring an end to the plan, which has also caused a stir among certain members of the European Parliament.
There are concerns over just how safe it is for planes to fly low over highly populated areas and the EU institutions, which are frequently visited by Heads of State.
In mid-April, MEPs rejected a European Commission proposal to allow the European Union to overrule local authorities on decisions to ban flights at certain times.
The outcome of this vote left Belgian Green MEP Isabelle Durant perplexed and frustrated that the European Parliament had missed an opportunity to have greater influence on matters related to the privately-owned Zaventem airport.
She feared the 'Wathelet Plan' would not be altered for several more months, with the upcoming national and European elections causing delays in forthcoming voting sessions.
"When the airport is very close to the city, you try to find the best way in order to decrease the risk of safety problems and decrease the risk of noise problems. In Brussels, we do the opposite. We try to have more problems with noise and more problems with safety. That's totally crazy," she said.
On the flip side, the 'Wathelet Plan' has benefited certain areas of the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, which had previously shouldered the majority of noise from flights taking off at Brussels' main airport.
Districts on the eastern edge of Brussels, such as Wezembeek-Oppem and Kraainem, have witnessed a considerable reduction in overhead flights.
Mayor of Wezembeek-Oppem, Frederic Petit, welcomed the improvements for local residents, although he admitted it was a pity that the burden had been shifted onto more people in Brussels city.
"I honestly understand why the people of Brussels are not happy, especially as there are other solutions and other flight paths which could be put in practice, which would fly above lowly populated or industrial zones located to the north of Brussels," he said.
Activists against the Plan believe that planes have been purposefully diverted over certain city districts inhabited by greater numbers of foreign nationals, who are ineligible to vote in the Belgian general elections on May 25. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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