The Flemish single permit was originally expected to enter into force on 23 February 2017. In almost all Flemish municipalities however, this was postponed until 1 June 2017 (see Eubelius Spotlights March 2017) . For those municipalities, it has now been further delayed, until 1 January 2018. This new, last-minute delay is the result of the decree of 24 May 2017 containing further regulations on the implementation of the single permit.
Delay because of problems with the digital case handling system ("Omgevingsloket")
The Single Permit Decree provides that permit applications for works that are not exempted from the cooperation of an architect must be filed and handled digitally. In order to enable the single permit scheme to be implemented properly – including in the municipalities – and given the large number of permit applications to be processed, the digital case handling system, the Omgevingsloket, needs to be operational in good time. It seems that this is not the case. Discussions in the Flemish Parliament, indicated that the availability by 1 June 2017 of a suitably capable and stable Omgevingsloket was not (sufficiently) guaranteed. This prompted the legislator to issue an emergency decree, postponing for a second time the entry into force of the Single Permit Decree.
Delayed until 1 January 2018
In those municipalities which had already postponed the entry into force until 1 June 2017, the entry into force has now, automatically, been postponed until 1 January 2018. All Flemish municipalities are concerned, with the exception of Dilsen-Stokkem, Herstappe, Langemark-Poelkapelle and Staden – where the single permit took effect on 23 February 2017 – and Beersel and Diest, where it took effect on 18 April 2017 and 2 May 2017 respectively.