START (Strategic Action Plan for Reconversion and Employment for Brussels National Airport)

At the end of 2004 the Flemish Government decided to draw up a Strategic Action Plan for Reconversion and Employment (START plan) for Brussels National Airport. The immediate cause for this was courier service DHL's decision to move its European distribution centre to Leipzig, in Germany, hereby downgrading the site in Zaventem to a mere regional office. In reality, however, there had already been a decrease in the number of flight movements and passengers since 11 September 2001 and the following worldwide aviation crisis. It was also around that time that Sabena, Belgium's national airline, went bankrupt.

The objective of the Flemish Government is, on the one hand, to develop the Brussels airport area while protecting the interests of the people living in the vicinity, employees and employers. On the other hand, investor confidence needs to be restored. According to the Spatial Structure Plan for Flanders, Brussels airport is one of the main engines (the so-called ‘international gateways’) of the Flemish economy. The Flemish Government had a long-term vision (strategic vision note) developed for the airport policy until 2025. Since this regards a complex issue involving different sectors and policy levels, the Flemish Government set up a number of consultative bodies. The Flemish Airport Commission was established within the Flanders Social and Economic Council (SERV). A political working group (a taskforce including representatives of all the Flemish ministers) as well as an administrative working group (an official core group consisting of representatives from the different administrations headed by the governor) were set up to help flesh out policy. In concrete terms START will mainly impact mobility, the development of business sites and the labour market.

One of START's main objectives is to improve the airport's accessibility so it can be easily reached by car, bicycle, bus and train. To that end the road infrastructure needs to be improved, along with the – equally important – public transport network. The existing mobility problem will never be solved unless a significant number of commuters and travellers switch to public transport (i.e. modal shift). And so the public bus company De Lijn added 13 new bus lines and one night bus on top of the 4 existing bus connections to the airport. This makes a total of 18 bus lines, all of which operate in the airport area. Massive infrastructure upgrades (the Diabolo project) will enable faster train connections to the airport's train station. By constructing a missing link (the turn of Nossegem) at the end of 2005, trains for Leuven no longer need to pass through Brussels, resulting in a substantial gain in time. From 2012 trains for Mechelen can pass through a tunnel and access a new track, which is positioned on the central reserve of the E19 motorway. Report has it there will even be 2 new tram lines running from Vilvoorde and Evere. However, the majority of commuters and travellers continue to travel by car and so the road infrastructure problem will also be tackled. The entry/exit complex 12 on the E19 motorway (northern improved access to the airport) will be reviewed entirely. In the future, through traffic and local traffic will be separated on the Brussels' ring road (RO). The central traffic lanes will be reserved for the through traffic, while the outer traffic lanes will be used for local traffic (that has to exit or enter on the northern ring road). The stretch between Sterrebeek and the Vilvoorde viaduct will be dealt with first. During the second phase the stretch between the Vilvoorde viaduct and Groot-Bijgaarden will be adjusted.

START's priority is to redevelop the existing industrial sites that are outdated and dilapidated. In order to map out all the possibilities, the province of Vlaams-Brabant prepared the Machelen-Vilvoorde Master Plan. A second option is to make use of those sites that are designated to be developed into industrial sites, but haven't been so far. This is the case for Lozenberg in Zaventem, Bessenveld in Diegem (Machelen) and Westrode in Wolvertem (Meise) 1, which is slightly further situated. Only as a last resort will new sites be developed, such as, for example the expansion of Brucargo air freight in the western direction, a site reserved for airport-related activities.

Even in times of economic downfall, it remains difficult to attract employees for some professions. Mobility, required language skills and flexibility are obvious obstacles. For this reason the Flemish and Brussels actors drew up an Air Plan of Action (LAP). The Flemish and Brussels employment agencies (VDAB and Actiris) are working together to recruit job-seekers living in Brussels. Job-seekers and companies are screened to determine exactly which competencies the vacancy requires, which competencies the job-seeker has, which possible discrepancy there is and how this gap can be bridged. The Flanders' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VOKA) supports businesses in outlining their own language policy (through a learning network). Employers and trade unions also meet in an informal consultative body, the Permanent Employment Forum.

1 The plans for the business park along the A12 motorway in Westrode (Meise) already date back more than 30 years. In 1974, Haviland (a cooperation between different municipalities) and the Regional Development Authority (GOM, now known as the Provincial Development Authority POM) decided to execute those plans. In the regional plan of 1977, the site was partially designated as an industrial area, and partially as a fall-back for the industry. Haviland then invested more than EUR 12.5 million in expropriations. But in 1997 it wasn't the municipality of Meise, but its neighbour Londerzeel that was selected as the economic node in the Spatial Structure Plan for Flanders (RVS). In 2004, the Flemish Government decided to develop Westrode all the same as part of START. In 2008 the authorities approved a Regional Spatial Implementation Plan (GRUP). However, after an appeal by neighbourhood residents, the Supreme Administrative Court of Belgium annulled the Implementation Plan stating that the site was situated outside the economic node. The Flemish Minister for Town and Country Planning, Mr Philippe Muyters, already announced, however, the selection of Meise as an economic node during the upcoming review of the Spatial Structure Plan for Flanders.