Amendment to the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving as of 1 July 2026: New environmental performance requirements

As of 1 July 2026, an amendment to the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Environmental Performance of Construction Works Decree, Bbl) will enter into force. This amendment has been established by the Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning and published in the Staatsblad (Government Gazette).

The Dutch Environmental Database is not responsible for this policy change. The Bbl refers to the Assessment Method for Environmental Performance of Construction Works for calculating environmental performance.

What is changing?

From 1 July 2026, the following will apply:

• For residential functions, the environmental performance requirement will be 1.6. This is a recalculation based on the revised Assessment Method and does not represent a stricter policy level.
• For office functions, a tightened requirement of 1.55 will apply.
• For several other use functions—such as assembly, educational, sports, and retail functions—new environmental performance requirements (often 1.85) will be introduced.
• For small homes and certain non-compact offices, a more flexible requirement may apply.
• For buildings with multiple use functions, a weighted environmental performance requirement will be used.

The full amendment, including Table 4.158 and the revised Articles 4.157 and 4.159 of the Bbl, is published in the Staatsblad.

What does this mean in practice?

Parties preparing an environmental performance calculation for a permit application must comply with the new values in the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl) as of 1 July 2026.

The calculation must be performed in accordance with the Assessment Method for Environmental Performance of Construction Works, using environmental data and environmental declarations from the Dutch Environmental Database.