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Community Dialogue: How Do I Engage with My Community?

If you have plans to make changes to your home, business, or neighborhood, it’s a good idea to discuss them with your neighbors before you apply for an environmental permit and begin the work. We call this an environmental dialogue (in other words, a discussion with your neighbors).

Not every plan is the same. Neither, then, is the dialogue with the community. Building a fence, a dormer window, or a garage has a different impact on the community than starting a workshop, building an apartment building, or opening a café. The group of residents involved also differs. It is important that the dialogue with your community is tailored to your plan and the impact it has. You can read more about this on this page ordownload the guide “In Dialogue with the Community.” 

Involving the community in the planning process at an early stage, when plans have not yet been finalized, can lead to better plans, greater support, and more flexible procedures. A discussion with the local community provides clarity for the project initiators, the community, and the municipality. The community may offer input that hasn’t yet been considered; you keep the community informed in a timely manner; and it becomes clear to the municipality whether there are any objections and whether you have adjusted your plans (in part) to address those objections. This way, we all take the various interests into account.

6 Steps for Conducting a Community Dialogue

Determine the environment
Invite
In conversation
Write a report
Submit a report
Submit it to the municipality

These are often your (immediate) neighbors: local residents or businesses. But they can also be interest groups. Essentially, this includes anyone affected by your plan. Your plans may have consequences for their view, their own business, or, for example, the environment or nature. It’s also possible that noise pollution, for instance, could result. That’s why it’s important to engage in dialogue with your community.

Examples from the surrounding area

  • Owners and users (such as tenants or leaseholders) of all parcels of land that border your parcel of land.
  • All owners and users of properties that are within the scope of your plan.
  • All owners and users of properties where the effects of your plan are noticeable.
  • If applicable and to the extent known: local councils, interest groups, residents' associations, nature conservation groups, business associations, and so on.

When should I talk to the people around me?

It’s actually standard practice to always inform your neighbors of your plans, even when you don’t need permission. Following the new law’s entry into force, a community consultation is mandatory for all comprehensive environmental permits (applications that do not fall within the zoning plan) and is recommended for other applications. 

Onthe Ruimtelijkeplannen website,you'll find an explanation of where you can view the zoning plan regulations.

You are responsible for engaging with the community. If you’d like advice, you can always contact the municipality. In the invitation, clearly and fully explain your ideas and what you expect from the community. Also make it clear how you’d like to conduct the discussion—for example, one-on-one, in a group, or online. And specify the role of those invited: are they expected to contribute ideas, participate, help make decisions, or do you simply want to inform them? Make sure everyone has ample opportunity to respond. Allow two weeks between sending the invitation and the discussion.

Ways to Invite Someone

  • By phone
  • In writing, via letter or email

The way you engage with your community depends on the plan’s impact on the community and the number of people involved. Sometimes a written communication may be sufficient, but a face-to-face conversation is usually preferable. The advantage of a group discussion is that the various parties can also hear each other’s responses and concerns. Another option is one-on-one conversations. Be sure to cover the following topics in your discussions:

  • An explanation of your plan, highlighting (tip: show a “before and after” drawing):
    • The spatial impact (effects in terms of height, shape, accessibility, parking, and green spaces)
    • Potential Disruptions and Safety During the Implementation of Your Plan
  • The opportunity to provide feedback on your ideas. You can do this during or after the meeting. Please indicate the timeframe within which you expect a response.
  • Your response to the participants’ feedback. You’ll explain what you will or will not do with the feedback from the group and why. You can do this during the meeting or in a follow-up meeting.
  • What your next step is.

Ways to Start a Conversation

  • In writing
  • One-on-one conversation
  • Information Session
  • Online Consultation

You must prepare a report on the community dialogue. This is mandatory. You are personally responsible for this. The report must include at least the following

  • Your answers to the questions asked by those around you.
  • A brief description of your plan, including any attachments (such as drawings, written responses, etc.).
  • How your plan will change the current situation.
  • Who has been invited to the community dialogue, and what interests do they represent? You can describe this in general terms, for example: neighbors within a radius of ... meters.
  • When and where the conversation took place, and in what form.
  • Who was present and who has canceled. To protect the privacy of personal information, please list this in a separate attachment.
  • If applicable: why people did not participate in the community dialogue.
  • A summary of feedback from the community. By "feedback," we mean: suggestions, questions, ideas, and concerns.

Please send the report and its appendices to everyone who participated in the community dialogue (either by attending and/or submitting feedback). Also include those who were unable to attend but requested to be kept informed. In the report, clearly indicate whether there is support for your plan. Also describe the feedback received and how you addressed it. Your plan may have been adjusted accordingly, but it may also be the case, for example, that proposed changes are not technically feasible or would entail disproportionately high costs.

Let the relevant parties know how long they have to respond to your report (two weeks is a reasonable timeframe) and how they can do so. You can either attach any responses to the report or revise the report accordingly.

You must submit the final report and its attachments when you apply for an environmental permit. If any relevant changes occur in your project during the application process, you are required to notify the relevant authorities.

When is a dialogue good?

When making decisions regarding permits, the municipality assesses whether the community consultation process was conducted properly. Below is a checklist:

  1. Did the participants in the community dialogue accurately reflect the community affected by your plan?
  2. Is it clear to everyone involved what they can and cannot influence, and why?
  3. How could people who were less assertive or more reserved express their opinions?
  4. Did everyone freely express their opinions?
  5. Did people listen to others' points of view?
  6. What did you do with the participants' wishes and ideas, and why?
  7. How did you deal with differing viewpoints and concerns?
  8. How did you decide between all the different interests?
  9. Did you inform all parties involved about the meeting(s) in a timely and clear manner? Did you provide timely and clear feedback on the results?
  10. How does everyone feel about the outcome and the process?

What is the municipality's opinion of my plan?

The municipality will make a decision on your application for a plan (application for an environmental permit). In doing so, we consider policies and regulations, as well as the interests of others and the public interest. When applying for an environmental permit, you are required to indicate whether an environmental dialogue has taken place.

Once you have submitted your application (including the community consultation), the municipality will review:

  • Whether you have conducted a community consultation.
  • How and with whom you conducted a community dialogue.
  • Whether the results of the community dialogue are clear.
  • What you did with the results (any adjustments to the plan).
  • And, of course, whether your plan complies with laws and regulations.

The assessment of the community dialogue is part of the decision on the application. If no dialogue took place or if the interests of the community were not sufficiently taken into account, this may result in a decision not to approve your plan.

Legal Options

Involving people in the area affected by your plan in the planning process from the outset can lead to better plans, greater support, and smoother procedures. Of course, the legal options for filing objections and appeals remain in effect. People in the area affected by your plan retain the right to appeal a municipal decision regarding your plan.

If you still have questions about how the community dialogue will be conducted, pleasecontact the Municipality of Moerdijkor send an email toinfo@moerdijk.nl. 

Would you like to receive certain documents in Word so you can edit them more easily? If so, please send an email toinfo@moerdijk.nl, addressed to the Omgevingsloket. 

See also