So what's all this about Doel Doel Doel ?

First of all, basic story : In the 70's the government decided to build the Antwerp Nuclear Power Plant in Doel; the last patch of polder land available in this part of Belgium. They wanted then to wipe Doel off the map, and managed to buy up about half the houses in the village, which were then just left to rot. The other half were owned by residents who wouldn't give up without a fight, and hence, the village is still inhabited. The empty houses that are still habitable have been squatted, which means the village is slowly being repopulated. Needless to say, the government is not happy ! To save on legal problems, many of the squatters have agreed to pay a minimal rent, which means they are living legally in the village; the police have no reason to throw them out and can't accuse anyone this way of breaking the law.

Doel was already being encroached upon from other directions, mainly by the Port of Antwerp which now surrounds the village, except northwards, where there's the Nuclear Power Plant. So far so good. But for some reason the Belgian government sees Doel as a thorn in it's side that HAS to removed (the real reasons are still not clear for this) So about 10 odd years ago (I'm being very vague here, as a foreigner I'm not sure of all the exact facts) the government decided the Port of Antwerp has to grow, and Doel is sitting in the last piece of land available for this. So another campaign to eradicate the village. This didn't work, and the new dock was constructed alongside the village, less than 1km away. Still, Doel stayed.

Next they decided that as so much land has been taken around here for industrial use, they should do something to compensate. So a nature reserve was the solution, + being the ideal excuse to vacate a few more of the farms lying just outside the actual village. Just when we moved into the house, they started ripping all the trees of the area out to make a nature reserve. (I know, rip out the trees, and help nature ... doesn't make sense, but that's to you and me who actually think :P Sure others know better! )

Latest plans we've heard of are ANOTHER dock, 2000 and counting just aren't enough. Also the fact that the dock area in Antwerp is suffering a severe lack of work (partly because of how successful the port in Rotterdam is becoming) isn't deemed a satisfactory reason to hold up the plans; whatever happens apparently, Doel has to go. We've been given till 2009 (it was 2007 till this year !) by which time works will be in progress to flatten this area. A quarter of the village has been levelled already through 2006, mostly houses which the government had purchased and left to rot.

So far as we live on the outskirts of Doel our house and street seem safe. But we've heard rumours lately that our area is being evaluated for demolition too. So who knows ? Our neighbour got notice yesterday that he has 10 weeks to clear out of his house. (He lives 2 properties down from us) The places on either side of him can stay, even though they're derelict now, as the owners sold out to the government years ago already. So why does his lovely farm have to go ? Why are the derelict ones allowed to stay ? And above all, is this all really legal ??

And then to top all that, the derelict house on the property next to ours has been issued a building permit !! So they flatten the area, then issue permits for rebuilding ?

You tell me !

Please, visit http://www.kunstdoel.net/ and sign the petition to save our village.

Thanks :)