Province of Fryslân: applying for an earth removal permit
Omschrijving
Anyone who is going to excavate the soil needs an excavation permit. Earth removal means that you excavate the soil, thereby lowering the soil level. This applies to land (ground level) and the water bottom. Excavation involves the removal of a soil layer such as clay, peat, sand or gravel. Examples of earth removal are:
- sand excavation
- water storage
- nature development You are applying for an environmental permit for ‘Earth removal activity on land, in regional waters and in a winter bed of a river’.
An environmental permit for earth removal activities must be applied for at all times. Even if you lower the soil level temporarily. In a number of cases, an exemption applies. You can see when an exemption applies by completing a permit check via the online Omgevingsloket (in Dutch). This is the service counter for environmental and planning permits.
The conditions for obtaining an excavation permit include:
- the earth removal fits within the environment plan, and
- the landowner has given permission for the earth removal.
This is how you apply for a permit:
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Go to the online Omgevingsloket (in Dutch). This is the service counter for environmental and planning permits.
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Do the permit check.
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You will be told whether you need to apply for a permit. You can do this right away.
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Log in. In your application, you need to provide the following information:
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the type of work you want to carry out and the location (address)
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the volume and depth of the earth removal
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the type of material you are going to excavate
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the date on which you start the earth removal and the (estimated) duration
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address details and permission from the landowner
The costs depend on the amount of material and the publication costs.
The time it takes for a decision on your permit application depends on the (potential) impact your company has on the environment. There are two possibilities:
- Standard procedure. The (potential) impact on the environment is low. Under the standard procedure, the provincial authorities make a decision within 8 weeks. However, if the provincial authorities deem it necessary, they can extend this period by a maximum of 6 weeks.
- Extensive procedure. The (potential) impact on the environment is high. Under the extensive procedure, stakeholders will be given the opportunity to respond to your plans. The provincial authorities sometimes also have to further investigate the impact on the environment. It takes an average of six months before the provincial authorities can take a final decision on your permit application.
Have you applied for a permit? If so, two procedures apply.
Standard procedure:
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If you do not agree with the decision by the provincial authorities on your application, you can object. You must do this within six weeks of the decision.
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Do you disagree with the decision after that? In that case, you can start an appeal through the courts within six weeks. Extensive procedure:
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The provincial authorities will make the draft decision available for inspection for a period of six weeks.
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Stakeholders can respond to the draft decision by submitting a viewpoint.
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The provincial authorities will take a final decision after that. Provided you have submitted a viewpoint, you can appeal against that decision in court.
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Province of Fryslân