Beveren Waas chosen as new name for merged municipalities
From 2025, Beveren Waas will be the largest municipality in Flanders. The merged municipality announced the new name on Thursday morning. Beveren, Kruibeke and Zwijndrecht will house nearly 87,000 people in an area of 200 square kilometres.
The merger was chosen in an online poll of residents of the three merged municipalities. Just over 20,000 people voted, with 13,627 choosing Beveren Waas and 6,892 choosing Scheldewaas.
If the name is approved by the municipal councils involved, Beveren will no longer exist, and Beveren Waas will become the largest municipality in Flanders. Only Antwerp is larger in surface area, and the number of inhabitants is only exceeded by cities.
The merger of Kruibeke, Beveren and Zwijndrecht has caused controversy in the last year. In September, 80 per cent of voters in Zwijndrecht rejected the merger, but Zwijndrecht's municipal council gave the go-ahead for talks in October.
Zwijndrecht, which is currently part of Antwerp province, will be integrated into the province of East Flanders as part of the merger. This will affect issues such as provincial taxes for families and businesses, which are lower in East Flanders than in Antwerp.
#FlandersNewsService | Beveren © CTK PHOTO / KUPEC PETR
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