Environment Act: What does it mean for your building or remodeling project?

The Environment Act is a law in the Netherlands that combines and simplifies various laws in the fields of spatial planning, environment and construction. The goal is to simplify and integrate environmental law.

The Environment Act entered into force on July 1, 2022.

The Environment Act simplifies regulations, introduces the environmental plan, promotes stakeholder participation, and strives for sustainable development.

The environmental plan replaces zoning plans and contains rules for the physical environment at the municipal level.

The law promotes participation by involving citizens, businesses and other stakeholders in spatial plans. Municipalities need to organize participation.

Among other things, the law introduces the environmental plan, the environmental permit and the program as tools for spatial planning.

This principle means that municipalities and provinces are given more room to set local policies, while national standards and goals are set centrally.

Environmental impacts are assessed through the instrument of “environmental impact assessment” (EIA), which can be part of an environmental plan or environmental permit.

The DSO is a digital system that supports the implementation of the Environment Act, including digital submission of applications and consultation of regulations.

For detailed information, visit the official website of the central government or local governments. Various handouts and educational materials are also available.