Municipal spatial planning documents
Municipal spatial planning documents are an important basis for the rational and sustainable planning of all activities which affect the physical environment in the municipality and for ensuring good conditions for the life and work of its inhabitants. Municipal spatial planning documents are divided into strategic and implementing documents.
Municipal spatial strategy
On the basis of the strategy and the related action programme, regional spatial plan, other national development documents and EU development goals, municipalities set out the guidelines for the spatial development of a municipality, in particular the guidelines for settlement development, landscaping and for the development of the public service infrastructure and social infrastructure of local importance. Municipalities take these guidelines into account when elaborating spatial planning documents. The adoption of a municipal spatial strategy is obligatory only for urban municipalities if no regional spatial strategy has not been adopted or its preparation has not yet been started.
Municipal spatial plan
The municipal spatial plan includes spatial arrangements of local significance and determines the intended use of space and spatial implementation conditions for the planned activities which affect the physical environment. The plan is the basis for issuing preliminary decisions and building permits in accordance with the regulations governing construction and determines the conditions for other activities which affect the physical environment, except in areas where the plan provides for the elaboration of a detailed municipal spatial plan. The planned use of land is determined by spatial planning documents, so it can only be changed by amending spatial planning documents.
Detailed municipal spatial plan
A detailed municipal spatial plan is prepared for areas required by the municipal spatial plan, but may also be prepared for areas where it is not required by the plan, if there is a need or demand for this after it has been adopted. It is a spatial planning document by means of which spatial arrangements are planned in greater detail. The substantive solutions of the detailed plan represent the full implementing regulation of the space in its planning area, unless the simultaneous use of individual implementing regulation elements from the initial plan is explicitly required. With the detailed plan, the municipality may also change the intended use of space and spatial implementation conditions for the area in part or in whole without first amending the municipal spatial plan, provided that it meets the conditions set out by law.
Ordinance on urban planning and landscape engineering
A municipality may issue an Ordinance on urban planning and landscape engineering to regulate urban and other spatial development in generally built-up settlement areas, with an emphasis on a well-kept appearance and the harmonised and complementary use of public and private areas, and to regulate and protect the landscape. The Ordinance on urban planning and landscape engineering may also be adopted as an integral part of the municipal spatial plan or the detailed municipal spatial plan.
Site verification
Site verification was introduced as a novel spatial planning instrument by the Spatial Planning Act. Site verification is an instrument that is used to verify the appropriateness of individual planned activities which will affect the physical environment and to enable a minor deviation from the already adopted spatial planning rules.