2023-08-19 07:41:00
A well-known factory in Berchem-Saint-Agathe, the Joris confectionery is in a tense situation. An uneventful company so far, it has been confronted for two years with accusations of noise pollution from a resident near the factory. Indeed, the confectionery is located in a mixed zone, that is to say that places of economic activity rub shoulders with housing.
But this cohabitation is quite recent, explains RTBF, which is why the Joris company had never had any problems before. Since the installation, in 1938, of the confectionery in Berchem, many offices and workshops have grown in the surrounding area. And in 2006, a property developer bought neighboring buildings from the confectionery to make apartments. The resident couple who filed a complaint against the Joris family bought one of these homes during the coronavirus pandemic. Since the company’s activity was at a standstill during this period, no noise emanated from it and the newcomers were only disturbed by the noise of the machines once the activity resumed, there is two years.
The complainant claims that a steam boiler from Joris makes too much noise, this is the subject of the complaint filed with Bruxelles-Environnement. It is in fact the latter organization which manages the control of compliance with the noise standards imposed in the mixed zone of Berchem-Saint-Agathe.
Brussels-Environment therefore carried out noise measurements at the confectionery, three in total, “and all show an overrun, especially at 6 a.m. during rest periods”, explains the spokesperson for the Brussels organization to RTBF, “We first sent (to the confectionery, editor’s note) warnings, then minutes and finally formal notices, the last of which dates from mid-August”.
The Joris family must now find solutions to solve the problem, at the risk of having large fines to pay (50,000 to 62,000 euros), or even a partial or total closure of their activity. But the operator considers that the required sound standards are unachievable.
Candy manufacturer Joris, threatened with closure due to noise pollution
“The standards are completely illogical. Bruxelles-Environnement registers a maximum of 39 decibels during the day. 39 decibels. While their benchmark is 24 decibels. By way of comparison, a silent fridge is 50 decibels… These standards are not realistic, that’s the main problem,” laments Diederik van den Driessche, the great-grandson of the company’s founder. “The situation is Kafkaesque,” he adds, “I’m really disappointed. We’ve been here 85 years and we’ve never had a complaint against us. Now we have one, only one!”.
To try to settle this neighborhood dispute, the mayor will once again try to bring all the parties together around the table, because “things are not progressing and are rather getting worse”, according to Christian Lamouline. “The offense exists, of course”, he acknowledges, “but it is relative”. “It is essential that this type of business remains established in the town because there is employment behind it,” concludes the mayor, who hopes to find a solution that will not lead to the disappearance of the Joris confectionery.
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