Participation and the Omgevingswet

The Omgevingswet encourages participation. This means that you will be approached more actively and earlier to help think about new plans in your neighborhood. Not only when everything is ready, but from the beginning. But also that if you have a plan or idea, you actively involve others. When applying for an environmental permit, for example, it must be demonstrated whether participation has been done. How this is done can vary.

When and for whom is participation mandatory?

Municipalities are required to engage in participation when preparing an environmental vision, environmental plan, environmental permit and an implementation program.

On the Citizen Participation information page, we explain how we approach this in the municipality of Kerkrade

An initiator (those with a plan or idea) is encouraged to engage in participation. It ensures that stakeholders are aware of your plan. It can also ensure support for your plan. When you apply for an environmental permit, the municipality will look at whether and how you have handled involving the surrounding area.

In some cases, however, participation is mandatory. The City Council has decided which cases these are. 

Plans where participation is mandatory

Kerkrade City Council has adopted a list of activities that determines in which cases participation in the environmental permit is mandatory. 

  1. Environmental permits listed in Article 10.24 Environment Decree
     
  2. Energy Transition:
    • Wind turbines
    • Solar panel fields (ground installation): with an area larger than 50m2. This is subject to an exception on business parks.
       
  3. Living:
    • Inner-city: the realization of new (and permanent) housing that provides an addition of 50 or more dwellings.
    • Outlying area: the realization of new (and permanent) housing that provide an addition of 1 or more dwellings.
       
  4. Infrastructure projects: constructing and building supra-local infrastructure works.
     
  5. Medium voltage station (transmission distribution station or control station) with a building area larger than 50m2and a height of 3.5 meters or higher.
     
  6. The new construction and/or change of function/use of permanent social facilities: schools (or Integral Child Center), health care functions and community centers, with a gross floor area (GFA) of 2000m2 or more.
     
  7. The new construction of solitary structures higher than 8 meters with a major impact on the environment, such as advertising masts. This does not apply to an antenna installation or transmitter mast.

Step-by-step participation plan for initiators

Are you an initiator and want to know more about participation in the environmental permit process? Take a look at our step-by-step plan for participation. In this plan we help you on your way and give you guidance on how to involve your surroundings in your plan. 

You can also download the roadmap at the bottom of this page as a printable version. 

Downloads

You can open a pdf file in various pdf readers, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader