The strategic route
to environmental permits
The process involved in obtaining planning permission for building or renovation projects has become much more complex over the years. More and more rules and regulations are implemented, and they keep being amended. The latest relevant piece of legislation is the Dutch Environment and Planning Act (‘Omgevingswet’), which entered into effect on 1st January 2024. There is an increasing focus on environmental and safety-related aspects, environmental impact, spatial development and sustainability. These aspects are also considered in the circular construction projects we work on. The aforementioned aspects must be assessed in conjunction with each other, and must be related to the buildings for which planning permission has been requested. More and more parties are involved in the process, each with their own wishes and interests. The people behind the project must negotiate with government agencies and stakeholders, which means that proper communication and alignment are important.
Total package
Volantis’ Environment Management team provides a full package of services with regard to planning permission applications. Tell us what you want and we will identify what must be done to achieve it. We will determine the strategic route to be taken, and will draw up a document outlining your arguments and the details underpinning them. We will also conduct all the necessary examinations, draw up all the construction documents and drawings, and perform all the necessary calculations: environmental impact assessment, nitrogen deposition assessment, industrial noise assessment, soil testing, ecological assessment, energy consumption assessment, as well as the technical specifications of the building and the construction activities. We will ensure that the resulting documents are clear and easy to understand for all parties involved. We will also clarify whatever things may be confusing to any party (despite our best efforts to keep things clear).
Our experts Environment Management
Robert Slangen
Roy Savelkoul
Our projects
Volantis develops new projects and innovates existing buildings, processes, and production environments. We are primarily active in healthcare and industry, but also in various other sectors such as business services and education. From small to large projects, for clients from all over the world. Our approach focuses on exploring new perspectives that lead to innovative, sustainable, and successful solutions. The results of our passion for simply doing the right thing are evident in our completed projects.
Stakeholder participation
To ensure that the planning permission application procedure is successful, both expertise and effective communications with all parties involved are required. It is vital that you strike the right tone, both when communicating with concerned residents and when dealing with the civil servants assessing the technical details.
Stakeholder engagement is a crucial component of the new Dutch Environment and Planning Act. Both local authorities and private initiators of construction projects are required to organise stakeholder engagement sessions. This means that, prior to the planning permission application, all parties involved, such as neighbours, companies and groups of locals, must be involved in the development of the plan.
In processes like this, Volantis serves as a mediator between the various parties. We speak the languages of all parties involved and will have proactive meetings with the organisations that are to assess the application and the stakeholders. Our strategic approach often unveils opportunities to get more out of planning permission application procedures than the client originally expected.
In short, stakeholder engagement is not just a requirement that must be met, but also an opportunity to arrive at better decision-making. It takes respectful dialogue and a strategic approach to get all parties aligned and make the most of the planning permission application procedures.