The Battle of Noise Pollution: Joris Confectionery Faces Closure as Brussels Environment Cracks Down

2023-08-13 09:43:46

Until 2006, there were no houses around the Joris factory. But a promoter decided to change the carpentry into houses regrets Diederik Van den Driessche, manager of the confectionery. When in 2021, a couple comes to settle, they are quickly disturbed by the noise and report it to the manager. “At first he denied that the sound was coming from his factory. We then filed a complaint with Bruxelles Environnement. Since this Brussels authority confirmed the noise pollution in October 2021, Mr. Van den Driessche has turned a blind eye and no action has been taken for two years,” the neighbor told Nieuwsbald.

Last Wednesday, the family business which produces teddy bears, sweets and other sweets received a new formal notice from Brussels Environment. The Joris confectionery risks a fine of 125,000 euros and a complete cessation of its activities. “We don’t want the candy factory to close, but just a solution to noise pollution,” confides the neighbor.

Read also Noise pollution in Brussels: the number of complaints has increased by 78% in 10 years

For Diederik Van den Driessche, “this is a technical and expensive undertaking. It is not certain that better insulation will solve the noise problems”.

While this problem of noise pollution for the neighborhood has been commonplace in Brussels since the Fuse affair, the manager of the factory confides that “the sound is not comparable to that produced by a discotheque. Our production starts at 6am and ends at 5pm. During peak hours, we produce around 40 decibels. It’s not much but apparently the neighbors even hear the rolling of a pallet truck”.

Reconciliation not possible

The manager of the confectionery says he has already tried several attempts at reconciliation, but without success. “I feel like I’m fighting once morest windmills and I don’t see a solution at the moment. The same goes for the neighbor, who explains that several attempts have been made to find a solution, but “a dialogue with Mr. Van den Driessche is not possible”.

Brussels Environment has already sent three formal notices, hoping that an effort will be made on the part of confectionery Joris, before having to take stricter and more definitive measures.

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