HAARLEM, Netherlands (CN) — A Dutch court on Thursday rejected a pair of environmental lawsuits aimed at stopping the first Formula One Grand Prix race in the Netherlands since 1985.
The District Court of North Holland found that exemptions to environmental regulations for the Zandvoort racetrack given by the province in 2019 were in the public interest, rejecting complaints from conservation groups that the zoning authorities had failed to do adequate research about the course's impact on protected species.
“[The provincial government] could reasonably take the position that there are compelling reasons of overriding public interest that justify the exemption,” the three-judge panel wrote in the court's ruling on the case brought by Dutch environmental groups De Stichting Duinbehoud, Rust bij de Kust, De Stichting Natuurbelang and Milieudefensie en Mobilisation for the Environment.
The Zandvoort racetrack, 20 miles west of Amsterdam, saw its last race in 2017, a year after it was bought by Prince Bernhard, the younger brother of Dutch King Willem Alexander, and a business partner. The men have since been pushing for a return of a Formula One Grand Prix race, last held on the track in 1985.
The environmental groups brought complaints challenging the permitting process for the site. The court in Haarlem announced in July that three of those lawsuits – including one involving nitrogen oxide pollution, which has been a major political issue in the Netherlands – will be investigated further. That research is expected to take three months.
The two cases in Thursday's decision focused on the two protected species: the natterjack toad and the sand lizard. Both reptiles live in the sand dunes where the track is located and environmentalists claim the excavation work being done to build sands and an access road will disturb their nesting grounds.
The court sided with the province and the racetrack owners, who argued care is being taken to ensure both animals are not bothered.
Duinbehoud, an environmental group whose name means dune conservation, plans to appeal the decision.
“The court finds it acceptable that more than 10 hectares of habitat for protective animal species are lost – a statement that is at odds with nature conservation legislation," its director Marc Janssen said in a statement.
The Dutch Grand Prix 2021 has been scheduled at Zandvoort for Sept. 5, with preliminary events occurring throughout the weekend. The environmentalists were hoping their lawsuit would prevent the event from going forward.
Whether or not September’s race will go ahead is now dependent on an announcement Friday by the country’s caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Covid-19 restrictions. Under the current regulations, the racetrack can welcome its expected 100,000 visitors because they all are seated with 1.5 meters (5 feet) distance between them. However, rising infections due to the spread of the delta variant may mean further restrictions.
Follow @mollyquell
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
-
EU chief tells Trump ‘get facts straight’ on Ukraine aid April 19, 2024