The Flemish government has approved a strategic action plan to safeguard Belgium’s coast for the next hundred years, the regional Ministry of Mobility and Public Works announced on Friday.
Dubbed 'Kustvisie' (Coastal Vision), the plan goes further than the existing 'Kustveiligheid' (Coastal Security) masterplan.
The existing plan only contains measures to shield the coast against storms until 2050, while the precautions it envisages account for just a 30-cm rise in sea levels.
In contrast, the new strategy will span the coast to protect it from water-level increases of one, two or three metres.
Over a long period, the Flemish government seeks to advance the coastline by an average of 100 metres into the sea. This will be achieved by elevating and broadening the beaches.
Further details of the strategy will be laid out in an initial action plan covering 2024-2034, set to be released in the coming years.
