A village of 1,200 people on a busy river south of Dordrecht should be abandoned to allow a nearby industrial area to develop, according to an independent report on the project.

The village of Moerdijk is in the way of plans to expand the port and industrial area, says the report, drawn up for the local and provincial council.

The report, compiled by former minister Ed Nijpels, says the idea of developing the port and keeping the village is unrealistic. Discussions about the quality of life in the village will keep coming up unless a fundamental choice is made now, the report states.

However, the local mayor, Jac Klijs, says he sees no reason to abandon Moerdijk as a place to live.

‘Of course we have taken the advice seriously… but this would interfer with people’s daily lives and that is not something to be taken lightly,’ he told news agency ANP.

Moerdijk hit the headlines in 2011 because of a massive fire at a nearby chemical packaging plant.