Welfare

How does it work?

Wellness plays a role in many building activities. The location, design and materials determine whether something is appropriate in its surroundings. In the test for prosperity, all aspects of a structure are assessed for good appearance.

The municipality of Leudal has described in its welstandsnota (to be found under the heading Documents at the bottom of this page) what image quality means. If the criteria are met, then a building plan meets 'reasonable standards of appearance'. For some specific buildings additional policy documents with (clearer) criteria have been drawn up. This applies to:

• Agricultural buildings in the outlying area of Leudal
• advertisements

The policy notes are listed under the Documents heading, at the bottom of this product

When is no curb appeal applicable?

Building activities need not be subject to prior welfare review if:

• Are located in welfare-free areas. These areas are indicated in the appendices belonging to the welfare policy;
• it involves structures such as swimming pools, light masts, transmission towers, bridges, pergolas, located in areas subject to building standards;
• these comply with the "object criteria" (to be found in the welfare policy), which are concrete criteria for certain residential structures that require a permit (only in welfare areas);
• there are permit-free structures. On the Omgevingsloket you can check whether or not you need an environmental permit.

For these structures, a test of the requirements of prosperity is not applicable. You are responsible for the (minimum) quality of your building plan.

Excess regulation

If the quality of a permit-free and/or non-standard building is so low that the building is 'in serious conflict with reasonable requirements of prosperity', you can still be addressed by the municipality afterwards. This is regulated in the so-called 'excesses regulation' in the building regulations. An example is painting a building orange or pink or making an extension in a residential area consisting of steel sheet piling. If you have any doubts or questions, you can always contact the Development Team, Space Department, tel: (0475) 85 90 00.

Quality requirements

The building code contains the quality requirements and assessment criteria that a structure must meet:

• general criteria: these focus on the architectural aspects of the design, such as form, scale, material, color, urban planning coherence and building tradition (history). Anything built must meet these general quality requirements;
• area criteria: criteria may be different for each neighborhood. For example, areas with high quality may also have higher requirements for building plans;
• object-oriented criteria: these apply to common smaller structures at homes, such as bay windows, carports and yard fences.

Additional information

Advisory Committee on the Physical Environment

The Physical Environment Advisory Committee is an independent advisory body that advises the municipality on whether building plans meet reasonable aesthetic standards. It does this by evaluating your building plan against the aesthetic guidelines. The committee also provides advice on urban development projects, such as new construction sites or the redevelopment of existing areas. In addition, the committee reviews plans involving historic buildings.

Meetings

The Advisory Committee on the Physical Environment meets on set dates at the Leudal Town Hall on Thursday mornings. The committee’s meetings are open to the public. Anyone may attend the meetings. If you would like to discuss your plan in advance or consult on a recommendation that has been issued, please contact the official handling your plan.

Official welfare review

Not all applications are reviewed by the Advisory Committee on the Physical Environment. Certain types of structures are reviewed by administrative staff. This simplifies the procedures and allows you to find out more quickly whether your plan meets the requirements. However, this is contingent on specific criteria or rules having been established for this category of structures. This currently applies to advertisements, visual quality plans, and structures associated with residential properties.

Objection to advice from physical environment committee

You cannot file an objection to a recommendation from the Committee on the Physical Living Environment. The recommendation is part of the environmental permit process. You may, however, file an objection to the decision on the entire application. If you disagree with the committee’s recommendation, you may discuss your building plan with the committee. If the recommendation remains negative, you may request that the Municipal Executive deviate from the committee’s recommendation. The municipal executive may do so only if it provides a sound justification. As a last resort, you may request that the municipal executive submit your building plan to another advisory committee on the physical living environment, such as that of the municipality of Echt-Susteren or Maasgouw.