It is another appeal case deemed to have principled significance that is the reason there has still been no decision on the dredging permit appeal for Nakskov Harbor. The harbor had applied for and received permission to dredge sediment in an area of the Langelandsbelt, but that permit was appealed.
Poor water quality in the Langelandsbelt
The area in the Langelandsbelt where Nakskov Harbor wants to dredge sediment is, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), problematic due to water quality issues. Because of the presence of pollutants in the area, the Ministry of the Environment has temporarily suspended the use of a guideline typically used to assess such dredging cases. This comes after a case from 2023, which is still awaiting a final ruling.
Skaarup poses questions in parliament
While the case drags on, Peter Skaarup from the Denmark Democrats has raised several questions in Parliament, to which the minister has now responded.
Work must begin within three years
The minister’s responses also clarify that the Coastal Directorate’s original permit to realign and expand the harbor’s navigation channel is valid until October 19, 2025. If work has not commenced by then, a new application will need to be filed. The Coastal Directorate emphasizes, however, that the work only needs to be started, it does not need to be completed. The permit was originally granted in October 2022.
“It is a condition of the permit to realign and expand the navigation channel that construction work must begin within three years, which follows the framework of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act. The permit does not require the construction work to be completed within three years,” the Coastal Directorate states.
– A complete mess
Peter Skaarup acknowledges that Minister for Business Morten Bødskov has answered his questions, but he is not impressed:
– I think it’s a complete mess. There’s still nothing concrete, but I have a faint hope that something will happen. But the minister is not doing anything, and there are no guarantees. The EPA and the appeals board are just being left to handle things on their own, says Peter Skaarup.
The Social Democrat member of Parliament, Kasper Roug, who was locally elected and lives on Lolland, has previously stated that Parliament could, as a last resort, pass a special construction law for the navigation channel project. Such a law is something Peter Skaarup would support if a proposal is put forward. However, he hopes the matter will be resolved before it comes to that.
