Flemish Government Bids to Buy Van Hool Industrial Site

The Flemish government has made a formal bid to purchase the 30-hectare Van Hool industrial site in Koningshooikt, describing the move as a “unique opportunity” to secure rare large-scale industrial land in a region facing an acute shortage. Minister-President Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) announced the decision on June 8, the same day the online auction opened on the Biddit platform with a starting price of €20 million.

Strategic Land in Short Supply

The site, owned by the bankrupt bus manufacturer Van Hool (declared bankrupt in April 2024), consists of undeveloped land originally purchased for future expansion. It is zoned for industrial use and located in Koningshooikt, a sub-municipality of Lier in the province of Antwerp.

According to VRT NWS, Diependaele emphasized the severity of the land shortage: “In the entire province of Antwerp, there is barely 45 hectares of industrial land available, but it is fragmented. The Van Hool site is 30 hectares. This is a unique opportunity.” The Flemish government normally does not buy and develop property directly, but Diependaele argued this case is in the public interest due to the strategic importance of the land.

Funding and Auction Details

The money for the purchase comes from the Flemish economic portfolio and has already been budgeted, Diependaele confirmed. The exact amount of the government’s bid remains confidential for tactical reasons. The online auction opened on June 8, 2026, and bidding closes on June 16, 2026.

As reported by Belga News Agency, the government plans to prepare the site for business use and later make it available to companies that can create jobs and strengthen the region’s industrial economy. Development would take place in cooperation with local authorities and potentially private partners.

Preventing Speculation

Mayor Rik Verwaest (N-VA) of Lier expressed strong support for the government’s bid. “As far as we know, there are no other candidate buyers,” Verwaest told RTV. “Our worst-case scenario is that a speculator buys the land and leaves it fallow for years.” The city government had previously taken the initiative to alert the Flemish government to the site’s potential.

Job Creation Potential

Employers’ organization Voka Mechelen-Kempen has highlighted the significant economic potential of the site. Spokesperson Wim Brillouet noted that according to Voka studies, a 15-hectare site can generate up to 8,600 jobs, suggesting the 30-hectare Van Hool site could produce substantially more depending on the type of industry.

“Every extra job in industry creates three additional jobs in the broader economy,” Brillouet told VRT NWS. “Many manufacturing companies can settle here. Think pharma, chemicals, high-tech companies working with chips, or why not the defense sector.” The targeted sectors align with broader European strategic autonomy goals in an era of geopolitical uncertainty.

Challenges: Soil Contamination

The site is classified as a “brownfield” with known soil contamination issues. According to Newmobility.news, parts of the site are listed as risk sites under the Soil Decree, and some plots are contaminated with PFAS. Any buyer would bear the cost of remediation for redevelopment. It is expected that the buyer will apply for a Brownfield Covenant with the Flemish government, which would provide guarantees or assistance with financing remediation.

A Remarkable Government Intervention

The decision marks an unusual step for the Flemish government, which does not typically act as a direct buyer of industrial property. However, the combination of severe industrial land scarcity, the unique size of the site, and the risk of speculative purchase has driven the intervention. Tom Laveren, CEO of Voka Mechelen-Kempen, described the plot as “strategic land” in earlier reporting by Made In Mechelen.

What to Watch For

The auction closes on June 16, 2026. While no other buyers have publicly come forward, the open auction process means higher bids could emerge before the deadline. If the Flemish government’s bid succeeds, it will begin preparing the site for industrial development, targeting sectors such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, high-tech manufacturing, and potentially defense. The outcome will be closely watched as a potential model for government intervention in strategic industrial land markets across Europe.

Van Hool, founded in 1947 by Bernard Van Hool, was a Belgian industrial icon that at its peak employed approximately 4,500 people worldwide. The company filed for bankruptcy in April 2024, with its bus division taken over by Dutch group VDL and its trailer division by German company Schmitz Cargobull.