Spatial planning and regional planning

Structure and tasks of state and regional planning

In Rhineland-Palatinate, state planning is divided into a three-tier administrative system:

• The supreme state planning authority (Ministry of the Interior and Sport, MdI),
• the Higher State Planning Authorities (Structural and Approval Directorates North and
  South) and
• the lower state planning authorities (district administrations).

As the lower state planning authority, the district administration performs its tasks as a commissioned matter.

The individual responsibilities are regulated in the State Planning Act.

The state development program is a concept for the entire state (state spatial development plan) and is drawn up by the highest state planning authority. The state of Rhineland-Palatinate is also divided into five regions under planning law: Mittelrhein-Westerwald, Trier, Rheinhessen-Nahe, Rheinpfalz and Westpfalz.

In the respective regions, the independent cities and districts form a planning community. The planning community is responsible for drawing up and amending the regional spatial development plan as a mandatory task of local self-government.

The regional spatial development plan specifies the state development programme (LEP IV) for the area of the respective region. It also defines the spatial planning objectives that must be taken into account in the urban land-use planning of the municipalities.

The Trier Region Planning Association is responsible for the Eifel district of Bitburg-Prüm; further information can be found on the homepage of the Trier Region Planning Association

The tasks of the Lower Regional Planning Authority are in particular

• the coordination of spatially significant plans and measures, unless they have direct or indirect significance beyond the district (regional planning procedure, simplified regional planning assessment, assessment of their spatial and environmental compatibility, etc.),
• examining the compatibility of land use plans and development plans with the objectives of regional planning (regional planning opinions),
• technical and advisory cooperation in regional planning,
• performing coordination tasks within the district administration,
• advising municipalities and investors.

Regional planning procedures (Section 17 LPlG):

The responsible regional planning authority carries out a regional planning procedure for the plans and measures specified in the Regional Planning Ordinance (ROV) if these are spatially significant in individual cases and are of supra-local importance. However, it can also carry out a regional planning procedure ex officio or upon application for other plans and measures whose effects extend over larger areas.

This includes the following projects in particular:

• The construction of vacation villages, hotel complexes, large tourist accommodation facilities and other large leisure facilities
• The extraction of raw materials with a total project area of 10 ha or more
• The construction of shopping centers and large-scale retail outlets
• The construction of supra-local lines (power lines, gas lines, etc.)

As the lower regional planning authority, the district administration is responsible for all planning and measures that do not have direct or indirect significance beyond the district area.

Simplified spatial planning assessment (Section 18 LPlG):

This regional planning instrument is to be used for spatially significant plans and measures that fall below the threshold of the need to carry out a regional planning procedure.
In these cases, the lower regional planning authority is generally responsible.

State planning opinion (Section 20 LPlG):

At the request of the municipality, the lower regional planning authority issues a regional planning statement on the intended preparation or amendment of a land use plan (FNP), informing the municipality of the objectives and requirements of regional planning that must be taken into account in the upcoming urban land-use planning. Spatial planning objectives are no longer subject to further consideration at municipal level.

If it is not necessary to prepare an FNP, paragraph 1 applies accordingly to the preparation and amendment of the development plan.

The lower regional planning authority should always be informed of all spatially significant plans and measures at an early stage.