Ministry of the Environment requests comments on the proposal for the new Land Use Act

The provisions on land use planning will be reformed as set out in the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government. Comments on the proposal for the new Land Use Act can be submitted until 11 July.

The Land Use Act contains provisions concerning the national land use objectives, zoning system and maritime spatial planning. The aims of the reform include streamlining the zoning system and promoting the growth of cities and municipalities, sufficient housing production, competitiveness of businesses, and Finland as an attractive country for investments.

“The reform of the Land Use Act will boost growth and attract investments to Finland. For example, we will include landowner’s right to introduce initiatives and partnership planning in the legislation, amend the provisions concerning the right to request reviews and streamline the zoning processes in various ways. Smooth zoning processes have a key role in promoting investments and developing municipalities,” says Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala.

Zoning process to be streamlined

According to the proposal, the functions and legal effects of regional plans would be limited. The regulation concerning large retail units would be eased. Provisions concerning the joint processing of local detailed plans and local master plans, landowner’s right to introduce initiatives concerning local master plans and local detailed plans and the possibility of municipalities to give a proposal concerning a local detailed plan or local master plan to be prepared by the landowner would be added to the act.

The right to request reviews concerning decisions on approving a local detailed plan would be limited to those directly impacted by the plan. Except for certain situations specified in the act, registered entities would have the right to request reviews only if they have submitted an objection concerning the proposal for the local detailed plan. The zoning procedure would be simplified as well.

Minimum distance between wind turbines and housing and provisions regulating solar power construction into the act 

The proposed act will guide the placement of wind power in particular to wind power areas specified in regional planning. In regional planning maters such as impacts across the borders between municipalities are widely taken into account, which strengthens the social acceptability of wind power. Where the more detailed plan guiding wind power construction does not concern an area located in a wind power area in the regional plan, the minimum distance to housing should be eight times the total height of the wind turbine. Derogations from the required minimum distance would be allowed with the consent of the landowner.

Provisions concerning local master plans that guide solar power construction would be added to the act. In future zoning would always be required for the construction of solar power plants that are least ten hectares in size or larger. The construction of large solar power plants keeps increasing, and the purpose of the provisions is to promote environmentally sustainable solar power construction.

Climate change and biodiversity included in the requirements for the content of the plans, landowners’ position strengthened

In the requirements for the content of the plans, more emphasis would be placed on climate change mitigation and adaptation and biodiversity. According to the act, these should be taken into account in the preparation of the plans.

The position of landowners would be strengthened. In certain situations, the municipalities would be obliged to provide compensation for restricting forestry operations by the protection provisions included in the plan if the financial losses caused by the restrictions are greater than minimal.
Cooperation between the largest urban areas in the coordination of land use, housing and transport system planning would be strengthened.

Provisions concerning land use planning would be included in the new Land Use Act. The name of the Land Use Act currently in force (former Land Use and Building Act) will change into the Act on the Implementation of Plans. The provisions to be included in the Act on the Implementation of Plans will concern e.g. the land policy, plot division and construction in public areas.

Inquiries

Emma-Stina Vehmanen
Special Adviser to the Minister of Climate and the Environment
tel. +358 40 847 1992
[email protected]

Anna-Leena Seppälä
Senior Ministerial Adviser
tel. +358 295 250 242
[email protected]