Planning a larger construction project? Explore your idea

You can explore your idea through the Environmental Service Portal. 

Explore your idea

How does that work?

Your initiative will be reviewed by the intake committee and supervised by an initiative manager. 

• Within 8 weeks, we will assess whether your initiative is desirable and, in general terms, feasible. We will also determine the most appropriate next step. 
• You will receive the results of this assessment by mail. We refer to this as a preliminary decision.

There are three possible next steps:

1. Your initiative is desirable and has limited environmental impacts

   Your initiative can then proceed through the Permit Process. You will work with the municipality to further develop your initiative. The goal is to develop an initiative for which you can apply for a permit.

2. Your initiative is desirable, but it is complex or has significant implications for the surrounding area

   First, we’ll determine whether and when the municipality has sufficient capacity for this. If that capacity is available, your initiative can move forward through the Ontwikkelstraat process. A municipal project manager will guide you through this process.
   Together, you’ll further develop the initiative. In a letter of intent, we’ll set out agreements regarding, among other things, the approach, the necessary studies, the schedule, everyone’s commitment, and the costs. This is followed by a feasibility phase lasting 100 working days. During this phase, we will work together to determine whether your initiative is feasible from a spatial, technical, and financial perspective. We will also examine public participation, risks, and the necessary next steps.

3. Your initiative is not desirable or not feasible

   In the preliminary decision, we explain why your initiative is not desirable or feasible.

Apply for an environmental permit

Has your initiative been sufficiently developed? If so, you can submit a formal application for an environmental permit through the Omgevingsloket.

Submit your application through the Omgevingsloket

When you submit your application, you must provide all documents and studies required by law. The legal procedure for obtaining the permit will then follow.

Good to know

• A decision in principle is neither a formal decision nor an environmental permit. It also does not guarantee that you will be granted a permit at a later date. You cannot file an objection or appeal against a decision in principle.
• You must pay a fee to have a preliminary consultation or an application for an environmental permit processed.
• We will evaluate your preliminary consultation based on the information you provide and the rules and policies in effect at that time.
• A decision in principle is valid for up to one year.
• Not every desirable initiative can be taken on immediately. Each season, the municipality reassesses what capacity is available and which initiatives can be undertaken.