Frequently asked questions about the Environment Act

The Environment Act is a new law that applies to the whole of the Netherlands. It contains all the laws and regulations governing the physical environment. In other words, it is a law that covers everything you see, hear, or smell outside.

Since 1810, many different laws and regulations have been enacted for outdoor spaces, such as for soil, water, roads, the environment, monuments, nature, noise, and new construction. These laws are complex and sometimes contradict each other. Multiple terms are also used to refer to the same thing. The separate rules and laws often hinder the development of innovative and sustainable initiatives. That is why 26 laws and a few hundred regulations in the field of the living environment are being simplified and bundled into a single Environment Act.

You may not notice the Environment Act at first. But if you want to renovate your house or garden and apply for a permit, things will be different from now on. You can look up the rules at a new online desk, the Environment Desk. At this desk, you can check whether you need a permit and apply for one immediately.

The Environment Act also ensures that you can have a say in initiatives in your neighborhood. Each municipality has established a participation policy for this purpose. This policy specifies the initiatives for which initiators must approach their community and ask for input.

An important improvement in the new law is that the physical living environment is viewed and approached in a more coherent manner. This means that issues such as energy transition, sustainability, and social challenges are also taken into account when drawing up plans. The aim is to improve the quality of the living environment and to enable faster and better decisions to be made about the use of outdoor space. This will benefit all residents and businesses. Civil servants and residents have access to the same information via the Omgevingsloket (Environment Desk). Applying for an (environmental) permit is also faster.

Just like with a renovation, not everything will be in place right away. It will take some time, and things may go wrong. All separate laws and regulations will soon fall under one new law. That is new. In addition, we (residents, entrepreneurs, and government) will work together differently. That will take some getting used to in the beginning. Ultimately, we assume that the Environment Act will improve and speed up decision-making and that plans can be implemented more quickly.

The Environment Act requires every municipality to have an Environmental Vision and an Environmental Plan. An Environmental Vision sets out a municipality's plans for the future. An Environmental Plan lays down all the legal rules.

The Environment Act also ensures that, in many cases, you can have a say in plans being developed in your neighborhood. We call this participation. These plans may involve your neighbors, developers, or the government (municipality, water board, province, or national government). You can already have a say now, but the Environment Act encourages you to be approached more actively and at an earlier stage to contribute your ideas.