Are you applying for a permit that affects the living environment? If so, you will have to deal with the Omgevingswet.

Are your neighbors, the municipality or other initiators applying for a permit that changes something in your environment? If so, you may have something to say about it.

The Omgevingswet encourages the applicant(s) to inform you of the plans in time. This also applies if you apply for a permit yourself. You make an application simply with the help of the new digital Omgevingsloket. This is the website where all governments work together. Here you can find all the information you need in one place.

An important improvement of the new law is that the physical environment is seen and approached more in context. This means that when plans are filled in, themes such as energy transition, sustainability, social and societal challenges are also involved. The intention is that this will improve the quality of the living environment and that faster and better decisions will be made about the interpretation of outdoor space. This will benefit all residents and entrepreneurs. Everyone will soon have access to the same information through the Environment Desk. Moreover, applying for an environmental permit will soon be faster.

Depending on when an initiator can submit a draft zoning plan, we use the option of following existing procedures and deadlines. A plan must be submitted for public inspection by Jan. 1, 2024. Submission of an environmental plan is mandatory from Jan. 1, 2024.

The Omgevingswet will enter into force on January 1, 2024. The Omgevingswet includes a new instrument: the environmental plan. The environmental plan replaces the zoning plan, but is much broader than that. It will include new subjects as well as rules of the state. The environmental plan contains all rules for the (physical) living environment at the local level. The physical environment deals with buildings, land, roads, water, greenery, air, soil, and so on. The municipal council adopts one environmental plan for the entire municipality. These will all be replaced by the environmental plan. You will find the environmental plan from January 1, 2024 on the page where you can apply for an environmental permit. You will find the temporary environment plan from January 1, 2024 on the Omgevingsloket.

With the entry into force of the Omgevingswet on January 1, 2024, municipalities are not yet required to have a new environmental plan. On that date, municipalities will receive an "environmental plan by operation of law. A temporary environmental plan. This plan includes the current zoning plans, the Odor Ordinance and the dowry. The dowry consists of approximately 600 rules from the current national regulations of the Activities Decree, Building Decree and Environmental Law Decree.

Then, municipalities have until the end of 2029 to convert the temporary environmental plan into a full-fledged new environmental plan. This means that we will soon be in a transition period in which "the store remains open" for new developments and policy changes, and at the same time we are working on the transition to a single new environmental plan. This is quite a job that will take several years. There are advantages to accelerating the transition and moving as quickly as possible to a single environmental plan with all the rules on the physical environment.

At the same time, we as a municipality face major tasks, for example, in the area of housing, and we must be realistic. We assume that we will need the entire transition period. Given the scale of the task, the VNG also recommends that the environmental plan be built in stages.

An environmental plan has a relationship with the environmental vision of the municipality of Nuenen. The environmental vision states what choices have been made for the future. The environmental plan contains all local rules, which apply in the physical living environment. This means the environment around you. Such as buildings, roads, water, nature, soil, air, odor or noise. The environmental plan deals with activities that may affect that physical environment. It regulates that there is a balance between using a certain area and protecting it. The environmental vision states what choices we make for that purpose.

For various reasons, the environmental plan is modified. This is called amending the environmental plan. Example: no new homes may be built on a vacant industrial site according to the environmental plan. If we want to allow this, the rules in the environmental plan must be amended. The municipality first announces that we intend to amend the environmental plan and why. We do this for example in the digital Municipal Gazette via officiëlebekendmakingen.nl and in the local newspapers. In this, the municipality must also explain how participation is arranged. Participation means that the municipality wants to review the changes together with residents, businesses and organizations. After all, they may be affected. Once the change is made, you can view it and react to it. The municipality and other experts examine the reactions received. We look at whether and how to adjust the amendment to the environmental plan. When that is done, the amendment is called a draft amendment. In the local newspapers, on officiëlebekendmakingen.nl and on our website, we will announce how and when you can respond to the draft amendment. Your reaction is called an 'opinion'.