War of the ducks at #Laveu: rillettes or tranquility?

At the end of November, a planning permit application was submitted by a resident of the upper Laveu district. The man wishes to install, in his garden, a covered structure of ± 20 m² (the request indicates 40 m²) intended for raising ducks. An activity that Paul-Henry Fazius already carries out on his land located rue Georges Antoine, at the corner of boulevard Kleyer, with around forty web-footed birds. Under the brand name “Au canard de Cointe”, he sells his Rouen ducks, a “rustic breed known for the finesse of its tasty flesh”. Ultimately, he hopes to also offer candied thighs and rillettes.

The permit request does not please some of its neighbors, who fear the mentioned capacity of 150 ducks… potentially noisy and odorous. “For a year, the owner of the ducks has been moving forward little by little to create his farm, playing around with a certain number of rules.“, rages Florent Lahaye, a neighbor whose garden overlooks the small farm and who took legal action. “He modifies his land without a permit, transforms his garage into a shed, cuts down hedges and trees and installs a shelter larger than the 20 m² authorized by the CoDT.”

For his part, Paul-Henry Fazius estimates that he already has an authorization to raise up to 750 ducks, a limit below which the Walloon Region simply requires a declaration to the municipal administration. Without any further formality. “It’s since the permit application for the covered shelter that things have gone into a tailspin. However, it doesn’t bother my tenants. If I don’t get this permit, I will find another solution.“, he warns. “In any case, for Afsca, it is limited to 200 ducks.”

On December 20, the municipal college issued an unfavorable opinion. “The installation of a tent for the poultry farm does not comply with the destination of the place, defined by the sector plan. (…) The College was not required to make a decision regarding the breeding because it does not require prior agreement. The possibility of raising so many ducks in urban areas raises questions and the College questions the relevance of the legislation in this regard. It is now up to the delegated official of the Walloon Region to make a final decision within 30 days, based on the opinion given by the City.” At the Town Planning Council, we are told that this will then come back to the table of the municipal college for a final decision.
The duck war is not over.