Fairway adjustment: Objection rejected

04 Jun 2020 13:51 Shipping News

The Federal Administrative Court in its ruling today confirmed that supplementary planning meets the remaining objections under European Environmental Law. The court made it clear that there could be no objection to the supplementary coherence measure and that the additional points previously raised by the court had been remedied. The Elbe fairway adjustment can therefore be fully implemented as planned.
 
The major part of the planning approval process was declared legally flawless on 07.02.2017. At the last stage of the hearing of objections by environmental bodies that had already been in progress since 2012, Hamburg and Federal central government had in particular expanded the planning by one additional coherence measure for the hemlock water dropwort plant: Construction work on deepening and widening has already commenced.
 
Senator Michael Westhagemann: “After all the disagreements, we have found a good balance between economic and ecological interests. With its ruling today, the court has terminated a case that lasted a decade. A tremendous challenge for the future emerged here: If we want to retain our economic strengths, we must succeed in bringing proceedings such as these to a conclusion far more rapidly.”
 
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Heinrich Witte, President of the Federal Waterways & Shipping Directorate – GDWS: “We have today received confirmation in the highest court that our planning reconciles the justified claims of nature and the economy. This represents a decision on the few remaining questions to be clarified. Fairway adjustment of the Elbe can now be fully implemented as planned. My warmest thanks go to all those who have cooperated for decades on this substantial project.”
 

Fairway adjustment: Objection rejected

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