The construction industry RT considers the preliminary draft articles regarding the land use planning system to be in the right direction. Their more precise meaning and the functionality of the system will only become apparent in further work, comments director Anu Kärkkäinen, who is RT's representative in the land use and construction law renewal in the regional use and construction preparation divisions.
In the presentation of the Ministry of the Environment, the land use planning system is to be kept as it is today, as a fairly loose control tool for national land use needs, which is good in RT's opinion. The regional plan should be strategic and only have a limited legal impact, mainly regarding transport and energy networks.
According to the presentation, the urban regional formula is voluntary. It is good that the legislation defines a process according to which urban regions can, if they wish, jointly prepare an urban regional plan. Large urban areas can voluntarily draw up a joint master plan. Regional land use can be controlled by MAL agreements and urban land use structural models.
The construction industry supports the model of one municipal scale according to the proposal, which is strategic and would be particularly suitable for urban planning when scaled. The municipal plan would include a general plan and the implementation part would enable projects and construction to be implemented flexibly and faster than at present.
RT proposes that the landowner's right of initiative be recorded in the law, and the municipality is obliged to process the initiative within the deadline. This would increase the inclusion of privately owned land in the scope of zoning. After the initiative is approved, the landowner would have the opportunity to agree on the preparation of the plan under the guidance of the municipality. The joint development of the municipality and the land owner should be given an official status in legislation by enshrining the process in the law.
In the development of the community structure, the know-how and resources of the private sector could be better utilized, which would ease the pressure on the municipalities' own planning resources. Several municipalities and cities are already using private actors in partnership and contract planning and by organizing competitions. The realization of the project would also be more likely than in a plan drawn up by the municipality, where the municipality prepares the plan and only then finds an implementer for the plan. The need for exemption procedures that slow down planning is also reduced.
The promotion of supplementary construction is central to the reform
The goal of the new MRL regulation is the development of uniform processes (from formula to implementation) and the adequacy and proper allocation of authorities' resources and the transparency of operations.
In terms of the success of the law reform, it is crucial how the new law succeeds in contributing to the realization of sufficient housing production required by sustainable urbanization in growth centers. Legislation should pay particular attention to the prerequisites for additional construction.
Rapidly changing needs and the amount of construction required by growth centers require even smoother and more project-oriented planning. Planning should be guided more by goals than by detailed planning regulations. The promotion of additional construction also requires more interaction with the citizens of the municipality than before.
The Ministry of the Environment collects feedback in a comment round
The Ministry of the Environment has organized a comment round as an online survey on the preliminary draft articles concerning the land use planning system and their justifications. The survey ends on November 21.
The position drafts have been prepared as civil service work at the Ministry of the Environment. The working group or the parliamentary monitoring group have not yet drawn up policies regarding the draft articles, so it is not a basic proposal. The comments received from the draft articles are intended to be used to support further preparation in the area use division and working group. The section drafts only apply to the land use planning system. They do not include, for example, the construction permit system or sections regarding the implementation of plans.
See also
Survey by the Ministry of the Environment
More information
- Anu Kärkkäinen
- director, economic policy affairs
- anu.karkkainen(@)rt.fi
- tel. 050 337 6699, 09 129 9239