The dramatic floods of May 17, which particularly hit Mouland, but also Fouron-le-Comte or Fouron-Saint-Martin, were particularly discussed during the Fourons municipal council on May 23, 2024.
First with the thanks of the president of the assembly, Shanti Huynen (Voerbelangen) at the opening of the session, “for all those involved, but also for the solidarity that was shown between the residents”. But also at the end of the session, with the two points relating to the parking project in Fouron-Saint-Martin, contested by around thirty people, mainly French-speaking, who came to attend the meeting.
The first of these points concerned the alignment plan of this parking lot. The second concerned the permit to be granted for the creation of this parking lot: the municipal council had to take a position, because, in the municipal college, the opposition of the French-speaking alderman, Jean Levaux (R@L) had resulted in a no- consensus.
The mayor, Joris Gaens, once again took the microphone, “not to repeat what I said last month”, but to remind you that in 2021, a survey carried out by Toerisme Vlaanderen in Fourons, revealed that for 94% of the 220 people who responded to the survey, the problem of parking was a priority. Proximity to the electoral campaign requires, the mayor of Fourons did not fail to recall that the French-speaking opposition had approved, on November 24, 2022, the general parking management plan in Fourons, “in which a parking lot was planned in Fouron-Saint-Martin, at the foot of the viaduct”.
“You have the right to change your mind” conceded Joris Gaens, referring to “the emotion of these last days”.
A “revised” project
Fouron-Saint-Martin was flooded, he continued, “and we cannot blame the parking lot which has not yet been created”. The place where it will be located was not “drowned”unlike the adjacent streets. “But we adapted our plan”, he pleaded. There is no question of concreting the site, but the base of the parking lot will be made of flint, “which will allow the absorption of water”. And a channel will allow the overflow to be evacuated in the event of heavy rainfall.
Jean Levaux responded by relaying the concern of the twenty families present at the meeting. “If there was no “lake” there, it is because nature played its role”, he noted. And if the parking problem is indeed acute, in Fouron-Saint-Martin, “there is an alternative, still on Infrabel land, close to bus stops, and not far from restaurants”.
Clotilde Mailleu (R@L) got into gear by demanding “a new study, in light of the events of last week and also global warming”.
“This parking lot will not drown the village” retorted Joris Gaens, admitting that other preventive measures would be needed to reduce the risk of flooding throughout the municipality.
“A French expression says “When in doubt, abstain””, argued Grégory Happart. These words in French created a Pavlov reflex in the chair of the session, who was about to cut him off, when she realized that the French-speaking advisor was speaking… in Dutch and continued: “Are you sure that this parking lot will not have a negative influence on the risk of flooding?” ( “Are you 100% sure?” then added Clotilde Mailleu). And Grégory Happart concludes with another French expression: “only fools don’t change their minds”.
Not enough to shake the Voerbelangen group, which granted the required authorization (thus strengthening an argument from opponents according to which the Municipality, at the origin of the parking project, is both judge and party in the case).
French-speaking elected officials opposed it. As for the Flemish independent elected representative Rik Tomsin, he abstained.
