Port development

In implementation of the Flemish Government Agreement of July 1999, a planning process was started up in the Flemish ports, with each port area in Flanders having to draw up a land use plan with maximum protection for surrounding residential areas, maintenance and indeed extension of ecological infrastructure inside and outside the port area, and efficient use of space. The principles of the strategic plan form the basis for all further development within the port, whether it concerns shipping development or industrial development. The developments must also be accompanied by the creation or upgrading of ecological infrastructure in and around the port area.


In Antwerp, the strategic planning for the port areas on each bank of the Scheldt was originally carried out separately, but in the meantime the two planning processes have been combined, with a single, all-embracing strategic plan for the Antwerp port area being drawn up in 2006. The economic development study, the nature conservation background note and the Quickscan transport study have all been taken into account in the strategic plan.
The strategic plan for the port of Antwerp is aimed at developing the left and right banks of the Scheldt as a single, functionally integrated system with multiple uses. The core principle is that there should be economic development while maintaining the viability of villages within the area, and at the same time guaranteeing the conservation and development of nature assets. The strategic planning offers legal certainty for development of the port within a well-defined area.

Now that the boundaries of the port as a space for economic development have been defined, this should enable progress to be made in a number of projects that are considered to be of priority importance for the port and its development, thus safeguarding its future until 2030.
Priority projects that have been made possible include the second access to the Waasland port, completion of the Verrebroek dock, development of the Waasland Logistics Park and the Hoevenen Logistics Park, and a substantial increase in the container handling capacity.
The definition of the seaport area should eventually lead to the drawing up of a Regional Land Use Plan for the port.

Logistics parks
The Structural Land Use Plan for Flanders provides for development of two multimodal logistics zones in the Antwerp port area, namely the Waasland Logistics Park on the left bank and the Schijns Logistic Park on the right bank.

Waasland Logistics Park
In the first phase an area of around 50 ha will be developed. Further development will go ahead once the boundaries of the Waasland Logistics Park have been defined in relation to the Regional Land Use Plan and the environmental impact assessment has been carried out. Like the other port infrastructure projects, these projects will be accompanied by the development of new or replacement nature conservation projects.

Schijns Logistics Park (Hoevenen)
Under the terms of the agreements made in the strategic planning consultation process for the right bank, this zone will be served by rail (Main Hub) and by road (A12 highway). The plans also include creation of 5% ecological infrastructure.

©2008 Haven van Antwerpen