Suppose you want to turn a house into an office, but the environmental plan states that only living is allowed in this building. Then you can apply for an environmental permit for an out-of-plan environmental plan activity. If this permit is granted, you can turn the house into an office.

For example, you need an off-plan environmental plan activity permit when:

  • You want to live in a building intended as a business, store, office or warehouse.
  • You want to start a restaurant in your home.
  • You want to build or remodel something that does not fit the environmental plan.
  • You want to use a site for a festival site, for example, when it is not permitted by the environmental plan.

You can view the environmental plan or other spatial plan online through the Omgevingsloket website or at the Environmental Desk.

What do you need?

To apply for an environmental permit for contrary use, you will need the following:

  • Your DigiD (individuals) or eHerkenning (business owners).
  • Data and documents that show how you currently use the land or a building.
  • A description of how you want to use the land or a building.
  • A site plan and/or construction drawing of how it looks now and how it will look later.
  • A description of the impact of your plan on the area.
  • A description of how your plan conflicts with the municipality's zoning ordinance.
  • Your motivation: why do you want to implement your plan? Use the Good Substantiation of Effects on the Physical Environment (GoFlo) ( pdf) for this purpose.
     

Request

You apply for an out-of-plan environmental plan activity environmental permit online through the Omgevingsloket.

Apply for multiple environmental permits at once

If you need multiple environmental permits, for example to build or demolish, you do not need to apply for each permit separately. Through the Omgevingsloket you do this with 1 application. However, you must apply for all of these in the same application.

Cost

A fee (dues) is charged for an application for an environmental permit. We will inform you of the exact costs after we have received your application. The cost of having any spatial substantiation or research reports prepared will be borne by the applicant.

How long will it take?

  • In principle, the short procedure always applies
  • Within 8 weeks, you will be notified whether you will receive the permit.
  • The municipality can extend the decision period by 6 weeks.

Decision period 26 weeks for complex applications

  • For complicated applications, which for example have a major impact on the environment, the extended procedure can be chosen. You can request this yourself, but the municipality can also opt for this. For example, if many objections from the surrounding area are to be expected.
  • The extended procedure has a decision period of up to 26 weeks. This includes an opinion phase. Views on the draft building plan can be submitted for 6 weeks. Then the municipality makes a decision. Again, the municipality can extend the decision period by 6 weeks.
  • If the extended procedure is chosen, however, the objection phase is dropped and only appeals and reviews of the decision are available.

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