Figure 3 Overview of the planning competencies at the regional level
|
Flanders: planning competencies for the regional level: Provinces____________________________________________ | ||
|
strategic plan_____________________ |
binding land use regulations______ |
other competences_______________ |
|
-spatial structure plan (ruimtelijk |
- spatial implementation plan - general applicable land use (stedenbouwkundige |
- approval of local spatial - approval of local spatial |
|
-has to be approved by the |
- has to be approved by the - a building permit and a | |
|
The Netherlands: proposed planning competencies for the regional level: Provinces_________________________ | ||
|
strategic plan_____________________ |
binding land use regulations______ |
other competences_______________ |
|
- structure Vision (structuurvisie) |
- land-use plan (b estemmingsplan) - project plan (projectprocedure) - general applicable land use |
none |
|
- a building permit can only be | ||
|
England: (proposed) planning competencies for the regional level: Regional Planning Bodies________________ | ||
|
strategic plan_____________________ |
binding land use regulations______ |
other competences_______________ |
|
regional spatial strategy____________ |
none_________________________ |
none_________________________ |
|
-has to be decided on by central -one of the material considerations | ||
Motives underlying the changes
In all three countries both the subsidiarity principle and the concept of multi-level governance
have proved to have played a part in the reconsideration of which government level should
have which competences at its disposal. In all three countries, the planning competences at the
regional level were relatively weak or totally absent with respect to central and local
government authorities. In both Flanders and the Netherlands, the subsidiarity principle was
expressly mentioned as one of the motives for strengthening the regional level. What is
striking is the difference in accent: the changes in Flanders and in England have strengthened
the role of the regional level to achieve some decentralization, while in the Netherlands the
strengthening was primarily motivated by the need to strengthen the supralocal scale level
(because planning tasks were often too much for the local level). In the Netherlands, the
province already had important competences in spatial planning; in the event, no extra level
has been added. In Flanders that is indeed the case; the province has moved from nowhere to
an important place in the area of spatial planning. That is also the case for the English region.
Competences
The competences allocated to the regional government levels differ in the three countries. The
allocation is closely related to the character of the planning system. In both Flanders and the
Netherlands, the regional level has or will have the competence to draw up legally-binding
21