Environmental law

Legal advice on space, nature, environment, and development

Environmental law regulates the use and layout of the physical living environment. It includes rules about land use, water management, nature, air quality, building, environment, and landscape. This area of law affects virtually every spatial initiative from housing construction to restructuring of rural areas. Environmental law is continuously evolving and has fundamentally changed with the implementation of the Environmental Planning Act. 

What does the Environmental Planning Act regulate? 

The Environmental Planning Act consolidates dozens of laws and regulations, including the Spatial Planning Act, the Environmental Permitting (General Provisions) Act (Wabo), and parts of the Water Act and Environmental legislation. The central aim is to achieve greater coherence, faster procedures, and more room for local customization. 

Each municipality drafts one environmental plan that replaces the old zoning plan. This plan contains rules regarding permissible activities, permit requirements, and notification obligations. Initiators may encounter permits for so-called environmental plan activities (OPA's), including construction, change of use, and environmentally harmful actions. The BOPA (Outside the Environmental Plan Activity) will often be used because it allows deviations from the environmental plan to be made more simply and quickly than amending that plan.

Our expertise in environmental law 

The environmental law attorneys at BG.legal have extensive experience advising: 

• Authorities in drafting and assessing environmental plans and permit decisions and BOPA's; 
• Project developers on spatial initiatives, from concept development to legal realization; 
• Individuals and entrepreneurs in permit applications, opinions, and objection procedures. 

We assist you in: 

• Applications and procedures for environmental permits; 
• Assessment of permit requirements or exemptions; 
• Disputes over use functions or local planning rules; 
• Strategic environmental management in area development. 

Land consolidation: efficient organization of rural areas 

In land consolidation, lands are redistributed among owners to achieve a more efficient layout of the rural area. This process is complex and touches upon private law, administrative law, and spatial planning. The legal basis lies in the Land Consolidation Act. 

BG.legal advises both authorities and landowners on land consolidation projects. We work closely with other involved experts, such as land managers and planners. 

Practical, strategic, and legally strong 

Environmental law is broad, technical, and sensitive. Whether you are a government body, a developer, or a private initiator: we provide clear, tailored legal guidance. 

Do you have questions about the application of environmental law or are you facing a spatial procedure? Contact our specialists for expert and practical advice.