A narrow, unpaved rural lane in the Campine region has become the unlikely epicenter of a bitter, multi-year neighborhood dispute that is drawing in local authorities and now a judge, Nieuwsblad reported on Thursday.
The conflict centers on the Brakenstraat in Sint-Antonius, a municipality of Zoersel, where the X family has lived on a two-hectare homestead across five generations spanning more than a century. The family’s access to their property now hangs in the balance as courts examine whether the path remains their legitimate lifeline.
The dispute has escalated from verbal altercations to installed security cameras, dug trenches, and erected gates over years of worsening relations with surrounding residents.
According to the court of first instance in Antwerp, a judge scheduled a personal site visit on Thursday, November 12, 2026, to visually assess the situation and determine whether the current route serves as the most viable exit strategy.
At the heart of the legal battle lies a fundamental disagreement over classification. While official maps list the land beneath the Brakenstraat as private property owned by neighboring residents, the municipality of Zoersel historically treated the stretch as a public right-of-way.
Max Frans, who served as the municipal alderman for roads from 1989 to 2009, said that the town routinely maintained the gravel path.
“Wij hebben dat baantje altijd onderhouden,” said Max Frans, former alderman, adding that delivery vehicles utilized the passage decades ago without challenge.
Tensions mounted after the early 2000s when family members operating a landscaping and sewage-cleaning service increased heavy vehicle traffic along the narrow route. Ludo and Brigitte, neighboring residents who own the largest share of the disputed path, reported ongoing friction due to heavy machinery and dust.
“Ze doen alsof het hier van hen is. Ze rijden snel, ze maken stofwolken,” said Brigitte, told Nieuwsblad, detailing years of friction.”
A neighboring resident previously erected a wooden gate across the Brakenstraat in 2019, cutting off direct vehicular movement before a peace judge ordered it kept unlocked for limited passage. Subsequent actions, including the installation of surveillance cameras and the excavation of trenches, deepened the divide among local property owners.
With local mediation exhausted and court proceedings underway, the upcoming judicial inspection aims to provide clarity on the legal status and practical necessity of the route.
“Hoe erg zou het zijn dat er iets gebeurt met een van de oudjes van de familie, en dat de hulpdiensten niet tot bij hun erf geraken,” said Max Frans, former alderman.”
