Tervuren still plans to build a €1.7 million waste processing center at Vossem Business Park, despite ongoing legal action by a local resident demanding a cycle and footpath along Tervuren’s most dangerous Leuvensesteenweg (N3). Budget constraints have meanwhile frozen plans for expropriations needed for the path.
Mayor Geyns, who also oversees urban planning, has chosen not to wait for a ruling from the Flemish Council for Permit Disputes. And despite a pledge to be a full-time mayor, he has returned to practicing law and has previously argued defended clients’ property rights before the same tribunal.
Earlier this year, Geyns blasted the Vossem resident whose lawsuits have halted several building permits at the business park, including those for Au Flan Breton and a farm equipment depot. The resident says authorities must construct a safe walking and cycling route from Leefdaal to the Q8 petrol station before allowing heavy lorry traffic linked to the park’s expansion.
So far, the resident’s legal challenges have led to the annulment of disputed permits. But Geyns appears determined to push the waste processing center through. “We have an investment of €1.7 million here,” he told the town council, arguing the new site is needed to replace the outdated Oppemstraat facility. “Cases before the Council for Permit Disputes now take over two years. By then, our recycling park will already be built,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws.
At present, only a car wash is operating at the business park, with a €15 million police station — reportedly twice its original cost — due to open soon.
By Dafydd ab Iago. © Article and photos licensed © 2025 for Tervuren+ under CC BY-SA 4.0.