Building and operating·FindingConfirmed

Companies that file another type of planning application are almost three times as likely to open a site in another municipality

Of the 3,906 companies with another type of planning application, 3.9% also had a new site in another municipality between October 2025 and September 2026, against 1.5% among similar companies. The source only covers 671,780 companies with their registered office in Flanders; the comparison stays within that group.

Site in another municipality between October 2025 and September 2026

Both measurements combined · 3,906 companies

2.6×

as often as among similar companies.

95% interval
2.2× to 3.0×
Companies
3,906
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 Oct 2024–Mar 2025, outcome Oct 2025–Sep 20264.0%1.5%2.7×
Measurement 2event Apr–Sep 2025, outcome Oct 2025–Sep 20263.8%1.6%2.4×

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
Site in another municipality476 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 more than twice as likely to open a new establishmentBuilding and operating4.9%2.2%2.3×Confirmed Companies that file another type of planning application are less likely to grow their workforce strongly NewBuilding and operating3.5%6.3%0.55×Provisional
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 Oct 2024–Mar 2025, outcome Oct 2025–Sep 2026; event Apr–Sep 2025, outcome Oct 2025–Sep 2026
Observed and expected
153 cases, 59 expected
Factor (95% interval)
2.6× (2.2× to 3.0×)
Multiple testing
q < 0.001 (Benjamini-Hochberg)
Second measurement
p < 0.001
Other comparison groups
economically active companies 3.7× (3.2× to 4.3×); all companies 3.9× (3.3× to 4.5×)
Absolute difference
2.4 percentage points; following 42 companies with the event yields one extra case
Size of the groups
active 61,081, economically active 193,774, all 671,780 companies
Strata
82 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 almost three times as likely to open a site in another municipality. Data up to September 2026. https://hunchleads.com/en/lab/vg-overig-vestiging-elders

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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