What does Lille , the historic capital of Flanders, have in common with Milan and Tokyo? Or even with The Hague , featured in this blog a few days ago?
This means reversing the trend which started in the years after World War II β covering or infilling small canals, or piping underground small streams β justified at the time by two benefits: public hygiene, and more roads for vehicle traffic.
Since then, how many boats have given Lille a wide berth, skirting round the Citadelle on the high-capacity waterway, without realising what they were missing, or simply regretting that nothing had been done to welcome them in the city? Three design-and-build consortia were selected from six projects, and invited to prepare detailed designs and costings. In the meantime, I was in another consultancy group advising Lille on an overall master plan for water in the city.
But the issue of priorities was not the only reservation to be expressed. Councillors faced unexpected opposition to the project at public meetings. Local inhabitants were concerned about car parking, the risk of flooding their cellars unrelated to the project, but it is hard to overcome prejudices and perceptions ; there was also scepticism about the usefulness of the canal arm.
Finally, Lille politics clouded the issue. Outlying communes in the metropolitan district felt that the investment was going to benefit the central commune of Lille, and should be balanced by other investments to boost waterway tourism throughout the network.
