A regional administrative court (TAR) has axed plans to expand an air base here to make room for American military personnel, according to the Codacons consumer group which had filed a suit against the project.
''We have yet to read the exact motivations behind the court's decision, but it would appear they have accepted our arguments in full in regard to the complaints of the local population over the effect the expansion would have had on the environment and the city itself,'' Codacons President Carlo Rienzi said.
According to Codacons, the court's decision was also based on the fact that the approval of the project by the Italian government, then headed by center-left premier Romano Prodi, was only verbal and was never formally made in writing.
The expansion plan called for building new barracks and other facilities at the Dal Molin airfield to accommodate 2,100 US soldiers and thus unite the 173rd Airborne Brigade, which is currently divided between Vicenza and Germany.
The Dal Molin airfield is across town from the main Ederle military base which hosts the headquarters of the Southern European Task Force (SETF), which has been in Italy since the early 1950s and includes a rapid reaction force which has seen action in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In its suit against the project, Codacons pointed out the before giving its green light to the expansion, the government had failed to consult the local population, as provided for in a US-Italian memorandum .
Codacons also argued that the expansion would have a ''devastating effect'' on the city's urban fabric and the surrounding environment, with a high risk of damaging water tables.
Other arguments against the project included the possibly that it would make Vicenza a target in the event of a military conflict or terrorist attack.
Concern was also voiced about the impact an expanded base would have on a city which is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites, boasting a host of buildings and villas by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.
Local groups in favor of building the base said they were disappointed by the TAR ruling and would now examine their options.
