A concession permit is needed for sand and gravel mining activities in the Belgian region of the North Sea. This required permit determines in which of the five control zones concession holders are permitted to extract sand and gravel and the duration of the concession (10 years as standard).
Location of the control zones (and sectors) and exploration zone in the Belgian part of the North Sea
Each concession holder will pay a fee in accordance with the extracted volume. This fee will amount to a minimum of 18,592.02 euro annually. The fee amounts will be adjusted each year and will vary in accordance with the type of material:
- sand from control zones 1, 2, 4 and 5: 0.70 euro/m³ in 2022;
- sand from control zone 3 (of lower quality): 0.46 euro/m³ in 2022;
- gravel: 1.49 euro/m³ in 2022.
The entirety of the fees paid by the concession permit holders will go towards research into the impact that mining of sand and gravel has on the sea floor and the marine environment.
Forms
Monthly sand extraction declaration
Concession holders can use the form Monthly sand extraction declaration (XLSX, 1.68 MB) (only available in Dutch) to report their monthly mining figures.
Sand extraction concession request
You can use the form Demande de concession d'exploitation de sable (DOC, 122.5 KB) (only available in French) to request a new concession for sand extraction. You can also use this form for an extension and/or expansion of the concession.
Concession transfer
Complete the form Transfert de concession (DOC, 112 KB) (only available in French) when transferring your concession to another company
