KOKSIJDE, BELGIUM – The municipality of Koksijde, led by Mayor Sander Loones, is seeking to attract 5,000 new residents by proposing a plan to allow year-round living in renovated holiday parks.

This initiative is designed to address the ongoing housing shortages faced by young families in the region, who are struggling to afford housing in the area.

Mayor Loones has articulated that the project aims to sustain local schools, services, and community clubs by increasing the population.

The proposal includes the introduction of new regulations regarding residential construction, specifically enabling the use of holiday parks and campsites as viable options for living spaces.

Under current regulations, while it is permissible to build vacation homes in standard neighborhoods across Flanders, the opposite is not allowed.

Mayor Loones has argued that this limitation is restrictive and prevents the optimal use of existing buildings in holiday parks.

He maintains that allowing individuals to reside in modern holiday homes and campsites year-round could facilitate affordable housing solutions without necessitating the development of new residential areas.

To enact this change, revisions to zoning legislation at the regional level may be required, leading to potential discussions on the implications for town planning, service delivery, and the balance between tourism and permanent residency.

Historically, the Flemish government has prohibited permanent living in campsites and holiday parks since the 1990s, citing concerns over inadequate living conditions attributed to many outdated mobile homes lacking essential facilities.

The aim of this ban has been to prevent unsafe housing and ensure that all citizens have access to quality living standards.

However, Mayor Loones has argued that contemporary holiday homes have significantly improved in quality, stating, 'The houses in our holiday parks are now more luxurious than some of our apartments.'

To support the proposal, Loones asserts the necessity of a new framework that allows for residents to live in well-constructed holiday accommodations, distancing the initiative from past issues of substandard housing.

Despite the ambitions expressed by Koksijde's leadership, the final approval for modifying the existing regulations rests with the Flemish government, with uncertainty surrounding their position on the matter.

In a related social development, OCMW Oostende has introduced stricter regulations for eligibility for the living wage, focusing on accelerated work readiness assessments and incorporating family income into evaluations.

This strategy aims to manage the influx of applications for social assistance more effectively and reduce administrative burdens on social workers.

From now on, applicants must demonstrate their efforts to secure employment during the application process for the living wage, marking a shift from previous practices where readiness was determined post-application.

Furthermore, the new criteria will evaluate the household income rather than just the individual’s earnings, reflecting a comprehensive analysis of a family's financial situation.

Approximately 1,300 residents currently receive social assistance in Ostend, with recent statistics indicating that a significant number of grants were discontinued due to ineligibility criteria not being met.

In Hasselt, an educational initiative has been launched to address the 55,000 job vacancies in Flanders through the formation of the 'Limburg Education Alliance,' comprising Hasselt’s Hogeschool PXL, Syntra PXL, and several Vocational Education and Training (CVO) institutions.

This alliance seeks to streamline educational offerings, facilitating better alignment with job market demands.

Minister Zuhal Demir has expressed her support for this collaborative approach, stating that the goal is to provide a flexible and effective educational infrastructure that will aid in workforce readiness and address the current labor shortages faced in Flanders.