Making room for tomorrow: the Flanders Spatial Policy Plan (BRV)

Climate change, increasing pressure on the living environment, ever-scarcer available space... Flanders faces major challenges. To deal with these challenges in a structural manner, the Flemish government is working on the Flanders Spatial Policy Plan, abbreviated as BRV. “With the BRV, the Flemish government wants to set the direction for the use and development of space by 2050,” explains Elouise Willems, an attorney specializing in government and environmental law. “The draft memorandum not only outlines the main lines of future policy, but also invites input from citizens, local authorities, and businesses.”

What is the Flanders Spatial Policy Plan (BRV)?

The BRV replaces the current Spatial Structure Plan for Flanders (RSV) and forms the new policy framework for spatial planning, permits, and planned developments. The draft memorandum, published on July 14, 2025, is the first step in that process. It sets out the broad outlines of future policy and creates space for public participation and consultation, so that both citizens and businesses can contribute to its further development.

If Flanders literally and figuratively makes room for tomorrow, the BRV will become the compass that guides every decision about building, living, doing business, and developing.

BRV 2025 Concept Paper: four societal challenges as a foundation

The Flanders Spatial Policy Plan is based on four major social challenges that will determine the spatial choices of tomorrow. “The plan emphasizes balance,” says Elouise. “Between living and doing business, between urbanization and open space, and between growth and sustainability.” In concrete terms, these social challenges translate as follows:

1. Quality of life
The Flemish housing market is under pressure: today, Flanders has almost 3.4 million homes, and by 2050, another 450,000 will be added. According to the BRV, these cannot simply be built anywhere, but must be located in well-situated areas, close to public transport, amenities, and green spaces. This will result in a housing policy that prioritizes not only quantity but also quality.

2. Prosperity
The economy needs space to grow and innovate. The Flanders Spatial Policy Plan focuses on integration: entrepreneurship, innovation, and the circular economy are given space where this is spatially possible, while heavier industry—such as Seveso companies—is given room for development in zones specifically designated for this purpose.

3. Natural capital
Soil, water, air, biodiversity, and raw materials: Flanders' natural capital is our foundation, but it is under pressure. Paving, fragmentation, and intensive use have left their mark. The BRV wants to restore that balance by focusing on de-paving, greening, and water buffering.

4. A future-proof Flanders
Climate change, aging populations, digitization, and geopolitical uncertainties make flexibility essential. The Flanders Spatial Policy Plan opts for an adaptive policy: keeping space free in flood-prone areas, investing in sponge landscapes that retain rainwater, and anticipating new forms of housing and sustainable mobility.

The Flanders Spatial Policy Plan brings together the major social challenges facing Flanders in a single policy plan that will guide the region for decades to come.

In addition, Flanders wants to stop taking up any additional net space by 2040. Whether it concerns housing, industrial estates, or infrastructure, new spatial demands must be met within the existing built environment. Only when this is not possible can poorly located space be released elsewhere.

The third task of the BRV focuses on agricultural areas, nature, forests, and water. This open space must evolve into a robust and coherent landscape that protects Flanders against climate change and biodiversity loss.

The Flanders Spatial Policy Plan and the spatial compass

The BRV translates these ambitions into a spatial compass with six principles for future-oriented policy. This is an assessment framework that provides guidance for permits, investments, and policy decisions.

• Careful use of space | New land use is the exception. Reuse, temporary use, and mixed use are prioritized.
• Hub value and level of amenities | Spatial developments belong in easily accessible locations with sufficient amenities. Further densification and additional functions, such as housing, work, and amenities, must take place in centers that have the capacity to support that growth.
• Integrate what can be integrated, separate what must be separated | The BRV encourages a smart mix of functions: living, working, and commerce where possible; separation and buffering where necessary. The connection between nature, water, and greenery—the so-called “green-blue network”—also receives special attention.
• The physical system is the guiding principle | Natural systems such as soil, water, and air form the foundation of every spatial decision. Developments should not put pressure on these systems, but should instead strengthen them by, among other things, promoting soil softening with a view to better water infiltration, building outside flood-prone areas, and adopting a nature-inclusive approach in the design phase.
• Quality leap | The BRV stipulates that every spatial intervention must contribute to improving the quality of the living environment. Densification must not be at the expense of comfort, greenery, or safety. The BRV uses ten core qualities as an assessment framework for this, including experiential value, accessibility, and sustainability.
• Integrated approach | Spatial issues relating to housing, agriculture, energy, and mobility must be considered together. In this way, the same housing project can contribute to different goals such as water buffering, social cohesion, and climate objectives. Connecting sectors creates added value and avoids future conflicts.

The draft memorandum of July 14, 2025, is only the starting point. Until November 14, Flanders will have the opportunity to help shape the BRV through dialogue between citizens, businesses, and governments.

This draft memorandum is certainly not the end point, but it shows that Flanders is resolutely embarking on the path to a construction shift. The Flanders Spatial Policy Plan is currently in the consultation phase: citizens, businesses, and local authorities have until November 14, 2025, to submit their comments on the draft memorandum. This will be followed by a preliminary draft, a draft policy plan, and a public inquiry, after which the Flemish Government will finalize the BRV. It is expected to come into force in 2027.

NOMA is closely monitoring the Flanders Spatial Policy Plan

The BRV will have a major impact on the way Flanders builds, does business, and develops in the coming decades. Our government and environment attorneys are closely monitoring this process and advising governments, developers, and companies on the legal consequences of this new framework.

Do you have questions about the impact of the BRV on your project? Contact our attorneys or schedule an appointment at one of our offices. We will be happy to assist you with tailored legal advice.