Brownfieldcovenants as an instrument to revitalize former landfill sites

Reallocation of industrial activities sometimes resulted in abandoned or under used sites, also known as brownfields. The Brownfield Covenant Act (March 22, 2007) offers developers the opportunity to sign a contract with the Government of Flanders and other private and public stakeholders containing mutual commitments to the realization of a brownfield project. This contract is the result of a process for gaining the (public) support and the cooperation of all the stakeholders involved.
Quite often, brownfields include former landfills and even stand-alone landfills could be regarded as brownfields. OVAM identified about 3.300 former landfill. Since 2017, specific calls for the brownfield redevelopment of former landfills were launched. This procedure facilitates land owners and developers to revitalize such landfill sites.
A negotiator is appointed by the Flemish government in order to streamline this process. He/she sets up a platform where actors and stakeholders could meet and discuss the plans. This multi-actor governance is not limited to public actors at several levels (local, regional, federal) but also civil society is involved. After approval, a covenant is signed and a steering committee installed (chaired by the negotiator) in order to follow up the progress and tackle the problems.
The overarching programme is coordinated by the Brownfield Board, consisting of the CEOs of the involved governmental agencies and representatives of the ministers.