Building and operating·FindingNo link

Companies that file another type of planning application are no more likely to see a board change

Companies with another type of planning application were no more likely to have a board change within nine months than similar companies: 18.0% against 18.0%. Both measurements rule out a link of 1.4 times or more. The source only covers 671,780 companies with their registered office in Flanders; the comparison stays within that group.

Board change within nine months of the event

Both measurements combined · 3,824 companies

1.0×

No meaningful difference from similar companies.

95% interval
0.93× to 1.1×
Companies
3,824
Measurements
2, independent
Source: Hunch Lab, cohort study within 671,780 companies with their registered office in Flanders. Compared within sector, size and age, with companies active in the same period.hunchleads.com/en/lab

Does it hold up?

Each measurement uses different companies and a different period. A link only counts if it shows up in both.

MeasurementPeriodWith the eventSimilarFactor
Measurement 1event Jan–Jun 2025, outcome Jul 2025–Mar 202618.2%16.7%1.1×
Measurement 2event Jul–Dec 2025, outcome Jan–Sep 202617.7%19.2%0.92×

How often does this happen?

Belgian companies with the event, per month, over the last twelve complete months.

Other planning application389 a month on average
Board change8,802 a month on average

More on other planning application

6 other findings

FindingWith the eventSimilarFactorResult
Companies that file another type of planning application are more than four times as likely to apply for a new-build permitBuilding and operating17.7%4.3%4.1×Confirmed Companies that file another type of planning application are four times as likely to apply for a renovation or extension permitBuilding and operating8.5%2.1%4.0×Confirmed Companies that file another type of planning application are three times as likely to apply for an environmental permitBuilding and operating19.4%6.6%2.9×Confirmed Companies that file another type of planning application are almost three times as likely to open a site in another municipalityBuilding and operating3.9%1.5%2.6×Confirmed Companies that file another type of planning application are more than twice as likely to open a new establishmentBuilding and operating4.9%2.2%2.3×Confirmed
All findings on other planning application

Technical note

Methodology
Design
Retrospective cohort study
Population studied
671,780 companies with their registered office in Flanders
Comparison group
Companies without the event that had another publication or event in the same entry period (active group), from the same stratum: NACE section, size class and age class; indirect standardisation
Cohorts
event Jan–Jun 2025, outcome Jul 2025–Mar 2026; event Jul–Dec 2025, outcome Jan–Sep 2026
Observed and expected
687 cases, 686 expected
Factor (95% interval)
1.0× (0.93× to 1.1×)
Multiple testing
q = 0.2 (Benjamini-Hochberg)
Second measurement
p = 0.14
Other comparison groups
economically active companies 1.3× (1.3× to 1.5×); all companies 1.6× (1.5× to 1.7×)
Absolute difference
0.0 percentage points; following 7,354 companies with the event yields one extra case
Size of the groups
active 67,044, economically active 214,185, all 671,780 companies
Strata
88 strata of at least 300 companies (section × size × age; smaller strata merged)
Data up to
September 2026
Cite this findingFree to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
Hunch Lab (2026). Companies that file another type of planning application are no more likely to see a board change. Data up to September 2026. https://hunchleads.com/en/lab/vg-overig-bestuurswijziging

Figures for this finding (CSV)

About Hunch Lab

Hunch Lab is the research programme of Hunch. Every finding is free to reuse with attribution. Questions are welcome.

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