The Flemish government is working on a thorough reform of the permit landscape.
Today, retailers, project developers and owners still too often find that permit procedures are complex, slow and hard to predict. Yet for investment decisions and project development, predictability is exactly what matters.
The reform therefore rests on three key workstreams that are also recognisable in practice:
1. Preliminary consultation as a right: more legal certainty before the application
A first important pillar is strengthening preliminary consultation. This matches what we see in practice today: such consultation often takes some time, but the better the alignment at an early stage, the fewer questions and comments arise during the permit process.
2. More flexible handling of permits
The second workstream focuses on the handling of the permit itself.
The reform introduces more flexibility:
- a “pause button” during the procedure to adjust applications
- stronger and more integrated advice
- a more solution-oriented approach
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3. Faster and more efficient appeal procedures
The third workstream targets the appeal stage, which still causes too much delay and uncertainty.
The aim is to:
- handle appeals faster
- limit the number of irrelevant appeals
- make the procedure legally tighter
Daily practice shows that early alignment and strong coordination between all parties involved are crucial. Projects that succeed at this are demonstrably more likely to go through the permit process smoothly.
At least as important is the consistent application of the (for now still) many rules by all (local) authorities. After all, legal certainty lies not only in clear rules, but also in their predictable application.
Want to know what this means for your project or portfolio? Feel free to get in touch.
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