In conversation with your environment
Why in conversation?
If you have a plan to build or develop something in the city, it is very helpful if you start a conversation with the neighborhood. That can be neighbors in the street or if you have a plan for the whole neighborhood, then it is useful to invite the whole neighborhood. The Omgevingswet (Environment Act), which comes into force on January 1, 2024, stipulates that as the initiator of a plan, participation is mandatory in certain cases. In Zoetermeer, for example, this applies if you have a plan of more than 25 homes. This is described in the regulation on participation. You can find it at www.zoetermeer.nl/omgevingswet.
Having a conversation with those around you is not natural for everyone. Who should you talk to? When? How? What do you do with the results? And what does the municipality do with them?
With this information, we want to help you with this. If you are a resident with a plan or have professional plans for the city.
As a resident, do you have a plan?
Maybe you want to build an addition to your house, organize a festival or get started on a neighborhood playground. If so, it is a good idea to let your neighborhood know in advance. Often these are your neighbors (local residents). But they can also be interest groups, such as a nature association or a residents' group.
Neighbors love to hear about your plans
People who will be affected by your plan generally like it if you inform them about the plan yourself and do not have to read in the newspaper that there is a permit application. Perhaps you can take their wishes and interests into account. Or cooperation may be possible. In addition to being good to have a pleasant relationship with neighbors, there is a good chance that there will be no formal objections to your plan if you are in discussion with neighbors about your plan. Exactly who your neighbors are cannot always be told. The important thing is to do your best to involve the people and organizations that may have an interest in your plan.
Plans that fall within the environmental plan or do not require a permit
Even if your plan or initiative fits the environmental plan or does not require a permit for your plan, it is important to engage in dialogue with the environment, but this is not mandatory. As you have read earlier, it is advisable to engage in dialogue with the surrounding area, because this way you can explore support for the project or plan you are working on.
Plans that do not fit into the environmental plan
For small-scale plans that do not fit into the environmental plan, there is also no requirement for participation. Consider modifications/extensions to your home. It is wise to engage in conversation with the surrounding area before submitting a permit application to the municipality.
What is an environmental plan?
The environmental plan contains the rules for the physical living environment in the city. For each area, the municipality can say which activities it will or will not allow, for example housing, recreation or business activity.
Do you have a professional plan?
Do you have a plan to expand your business, for example, or are you a property developer and have a plan for housing in the city? If so, we distinguish between a plan that fits within the environmental plan and one that does not. If a plan fits within the environmental plan, we advise and encourage you to enter into a dialogue with the environment. Practice shows that if you inform and involve the neighborhood in the plans, this leads to better plans and fewer complaints and objections.
Out-of-plan environmental activities
If your plan does not fit into the environmental plan, the municipal council has designated cases for which it must first give its approval before the college can grant the permit. Examples include an application for a building plan of more than 25 homes or catering establishments of more than 350m2. Check out the regulation on participation on this at www.zoetermeer.nl/omgevingswet. In these cases, you as an initiator are obliged to organize participation before applying for an environmental permit. How you as initiator carry out the participation is up to you. For example, with a home visit, but a residents' meeting for the neighborhood is also possible.
You must submit the following information with the environmental permit application:
- In what way you applied participation
- Who you involved in the participation
- what responses you have received
- What you did with the responses and
- in what areas your plan has been modified in response to the comments
In reviewing the application, board of mayor and aldermen tests whether the interests of the surrounding area have been adequately considered.
How do you engage with your environment?
Below we describe how to organize the conversation with the environment in a few steps. You can do this in whatever way seems best to you. It does not always have to be a face-to-face meeting; it may also be sufficient to collect responses in writing.
1. Map out who will be affected by your plan
With any plan, it is important to consider for yourself: Who is going to notice my plan and who do I need to make it happen? Are you as a resident building a new garage or do you as a developer have a plan for residential development? Make sure all owners and/or users in the area can participate in the conversation. The greater the impact of your plan, the larger the circle of direct stakeholders. In addition, there may be stakeholders who are indirectly involved, such as residents' associations, business owners, an interest group or a community organization.
2. What role do stakeholders have?
Before the conversation takes place, it is good to determine what role stakeholders have. If you are going to replace a driveway, it may be enough just to let your neighbors know. If you want to organize a festival in the neighborhood, it is helpful to let your neighborhood neighbors have a say in where, when and how the festival will be organized. If you are a business owner who has a plan to build one or more homes, the neighborhood will look different again. Then you want to inform the neighborhood about the plans, but also think together about how they will experience the least inconvenience. Think about the view, traffic and noise pollution. So participation can take several forms:
- Inform about your plan. This means that stakeholders receive information and can ask questions.
- Consulting on your plan. This means you present the plan and people are allowed to respond to your plan. Where possible, you modify your plan and explain why you can or cannot modify your plan.
- Coproducing. This means you will work with the invitees to create or design the plan.
By outlining in advance the role of stakeholders and the scope of your plan for them to think or work with you, you create clarity for yourself and others.
3. Invite stakeholders
As the initiator, you are responsible for organizing the conversation. Depending on the impact your plan will have on the surrounding area, invite stakeholders at least 2 weeks before the conversation takes place. First inform the immediate neighbors and make sure they get first-hand information from you as the initiator. Then engage in discussions with all stakeholders. Several rounds of consultation may be necessary, depending on the scope and impact of your plan.
4. Have the conversation, make it easy and clear
Preferably conduct the conversation with participants of the conversation at the location where the plan will soon be. If possible, also work with drawings. It is easier to participate if you know what the plan will look like and where it will be located. Explain what your ideas are. Also indicate what you have already taken into account when it comes to your surroundings. The participants will then have a chance to respond to this. During the discussions, try to bring up interests, objections, concerns or ideas. Also find out what participants find important together. Indicate whether or not you can do anything with the comments and why. Often the budget is already fixed. Ask the participants if they are satisfied with your response. Also make good agreements about the follow-up. Keep communicating during the process. Do so honestly, openly and transparently. Not only prior to the permit application, but also during the implementation of your plan.
5. Make a record of each conversation
It is important for an initiator to make a report. In it, include at least:
- Where and when the conversation took place.
- Who invited you to do so.
- Who were present as owners/users.
- A summary of what you as initiator have said, what was contributed by the participants, what was done with the participants' input and what was the final outcome of the discussion. Include an assessment of whether there was strong support, limited support or no support for your plan.
- Appointments you made.
- In what areas you might modify the plan in response to the comments.
6. Send the report to interview participants
If you are going to adjust your plan as a result of the conversation, clearly state what the changes are from the original plan. If you do not plan to adjust the plan, describe why you choose to do so. Send the report to all participants.
7. Submit your permit application with the interview report
If the conversation with the neighborhood is complete and you do not need an environmental permit, then you can go ahead with your plan. If you do need a permit, you can apply for an environmental permit. Attach to your application the conversation reports and a summary of them. This should include at least the following points:
- In what manner you conducted the conversation.
- Who you involved in the conversation.
- What responses you have received.
- What you did with the responses and
- In what areas your plan has been modified in response to the comments.
How does the congregation rate the conversation with the council?
When you apply for an environmental permit, the municipality also weighs participation, taking into account the scope of your initiative. The municipality looks at who you have involved, how you have involved them and what you have done with the results of the conversation.
The municipality will make a decision on your application, weighing a variety of issues in addition to participation. If you have been in discussion with the neighborhood about your plan or initiative, and you can show that to the municipality, that can help in getting a permit. Good participation helps with this but is no guarantee of obtaining a permit.
The official public participation procedures and the possibility for appeal and objection also continue to exist. But by properly engaging with your surroundings, you can make your plan better and there is a better chance of support for your plan.
Do you need advice?
Especially with large initiatives, it is wise to contact the municipality at an early stage. The municipality can help you further and offer a free consultation on how to approach your participation and involvement of the environment. To do so, contact the municipality's Environment Desk at omgevingsbalie@zoetermeer.nl or call 14 079 and ask for the Environment Desk.
For plans that require the approval of the City Council before the College can issue the permit, a preliminary consultation with the City Council is highly recommended. For this, you can also contact the Environmental Desk using the contact information above.
Tips and tricks
Good preparation
- Consult with stakeholders at the location where the initiative will be held and invite people at least 2 weeks in advance and take vacations into account.
- Use understandable language and work with images when you can. It is easier to participate if people know what it looks/will look like.
- Try to put yourself in the shoes of local residents: how would you yourself react to a building plan in the street? Realize that people may find it awkward when there are changes in their immediate environment.
- It can help to work with themes such as green space, traffic and parking so that you can give attention to all parts of the plan.
- Local residents often know a lot about their surroundings. So be prepared for questions from the neighborhood about protected tree species or monuments, for example.
- If you are dealing with many participants and many interests, it is advisable to have the meeting overseen by an independent chairperson or process facilitator.
Make the frameworks clear
- Make clear the purpose of your initiative.
- Indicate what the frameworks are, what is already fixed and what can be discussed. Often, for example, the budget is already fixed, or there are earlier decisions or regulations you need to take into account.
- Explain the topics on which participants can participate and the space available. It may help to give the organizations that will determine the initiative a role in the meeting/process. Consider the municipality or the water board.
- Keep communicating even if there is no progress and simply state this.
Know your participants
- Do participants speak on behalf of themselves, or do they represent a group? For example, an interest group, neighborhood or street.
- Also know how they have arranged their own alignment.
- Tune the method of communication and the working format to the participants. That way the process runs pleasantly and smoothly.
- Invite city council members so they can get a good picture.
- To bring more attention to the initiative, consider inviting the press to the meeting/participation.