Report: Workshop 'Omgevingsrecht in de Lage Landen: the sequel'

Workshop omgevingsrecht

The Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law (UCWOSL) co-organised a workshop with the Flemish Environmental Law Association, which took place in Ghent on 18 May 2017. The workshop was presided by Frank Groothuijse from UCWOSL, and Isabelle Larmuseau, founding partner of the Ghent-based LDR law firm.

The workshop dealt with various topics of environmental and spatial planning law, including:

  • a comparative approach to flood risk governance in Belgium and the Netherlands (Herman-Kasper Gilissen and Cathy Suykens, both affiliated with UCWOSL);
  • the legal framework for compact cities (Marlon Boeve, UCWOSL);
  • environmental and spatial plans in Belgium and the Netherlands (Frank Groothuijse, UCWOSL and Dick Van Straaten from the Flemish administration);
  • tradeable development rights (Hendrik Schoukens, Ghent University).

The workshop sparked lively debate and has proven once again that there are clear mutual benefits in regular Dutch-Belgian information exchange on environmental and spatial planning law and policies.