Project decision = project plan + route decision + integration plan

The Environment and Planning Act introduces a new instrument to regulate decision-making for projects: the project decision. Currently, decisions on national roads, railways and main waterways are mainly based on the route decision from the Infrastructure (Planning Procedures) Act. The project plan under the Water Act is used to modify water works. This will be replaced by the project decision. This decision will also replace the integration plan from the Spatial Planning Act.

However, the legislature is also adding new elements. As a result, the scope of the project decision, the requirements for the decision to be taken and the decision process to be followed change. The icing on the cake is the digitalisation drive advocated by the Environment and Planning Act. This should also improve citizens’ understanding of the project decision.

Comprehensive preparation for decision-making

After all, the Environment and Planning Act emphasises the importance of participation to ensure careful decision-making. This is reflected in the project decision, in that a ‘participation notification’ must be published at the start of the exploration phase(!). This notification specifies who will be involved in what and when. This way, the planning instrument imposes requirements on the project phase that precedes it.

In terms of content, the project decision offers the possibility of integrating several activities requiring an all-in-one permit. This simplifies and accelerates the decision-making process.

Both examples of new requirements and opportunities underline the greater need for comprehensive preparation of decision-making and collaboration with stakeholders and administrative bodies.

Project decision often mandatory

The application of the project decision is laid down by law for a number of, mainly larger, interventions in public spaces (roads, dykes, but also wind energy projects) with a correspondingly large social impact.

However, the project decision can also be used voluntarily and be the right tool, based on carefully considered reasons, for taking decisions. The project decision can be designed in a variety of ways: from compact and simple to elaborate and complex, depending on the size of the project in question.

The plan development of projects and corresponding decision-making procedures take time. Consequently, the first instructions for project decisions for works by provinces, water authorities and Rijkswaterstaat have been in place since mid-2021.

Experience in these ongoing projects shows that the project decision fulfils the need to be able to regulate as much as possible with a single decision, and thus offers a great opportunity to work in an even more integrated manner in spatial projects.

Streamer: In terms of content, the project decision offers the possibility of integrating several activities requiring an all-in-one permit. This simplifies and accelerates the decision-making process.