Welfare

Welfare is about the appearance of structures and the quality of the environment. 

Environmental Permit

If you want to build or remodel, you often need an environmental permit. You must also comply with reasonable standards of appearance. The municipality has established what requirements it sets for buildings. These are requirements about the appearance of a building. It must be attractive and fit in with the environment.

You can find more information about the requirements for building standards in Opsterland in the document below (pdf).

Advice by Hûs en Hiem

Hûs en Hiem is an independent advisory committee that evaluates building plans for Opsterland, among other places, with regard to their appearance. More information about Hûs en Hiem can be found here: www.husenhiem.nl.

Meeting Hûs and Hiem

Permit-free

Permit-free structures are not subjected to a prior appearance test by the municipality. However, these structures may not be in serious conflict with reasonable standards of prosperity. If this is the case, it is possible for the municipality to act against this and thus put an end to the undesirable situation.

Quick review criteria

Many small initiatives are permit-free. However, there are also small initiatives for which the municipality does request an environmental permit. These are initiatives that have a considerable spatial impact despite their limited size and scale. Examples include initiatives that are clearly visible from the street or take place on a corner so that the initiative is prominent in the picture from multiple directions. By consistently paying attention to the design in these cases, the living environment remains beautiful and livable for everyone. 

Quick review criteria have been drawn up for small initiatives that occur frequently and require an environmental permit. This simplifies and speeds up the permit process. Quick review criteria have been drawn up for the seven types of initiatives listed below:

  1. Accessory structures:
    • front additions and extensions;
    • side additions and extensions;
    • detached outbuildings side.
  2. Frame and facade modifications;
  3. Dormer;
  4. Inheritance;
  5. Technical installations/renewable energy generation.
  6. Flagpoles corporate site;
  7. Company site fence.

Quick review criteria consist of clear design principles in words and pictures. The design principles deal with 'placement', 'design', 'dimensions', and 'material and color'. In doing so, the municipality provides clarity and tips on how to properly design small building plans. Through concrete instructions and tips, residents can quickly and easily apply this for their small building plans.  

Civil servants use the same quick test criteria to assess small building plans themselves with regard to their appearance. These building plans are not passed on to Hûs en Hiem. This saves time and initiators quickly know whether they may begin their work.

If the initiator bases a plan on the quick-access criteria, the permit process can proceed smoothly. For permit-free structures, the quick review criteria can provide good inspiration for an attractive plan.

You can find more information about the quick review criteria in the document below (pdf).

Welstand note

Welstand supervision was once instituted to prevent buildings from defacing public spaces. Still today, every time an application for a building permit is submitted, an assessment is made as to whether the building in question does not violate "reasonable standards of appearance.

Document download information:

  • You can open a PDF file in various PDF readers, such as Adobe Reader.

Quick review criteria

You can download and view the quick review criteria here. 

Document download information:

  • You can open a PDF file in various PDF readers, such as Adobe Reader.

Still have questions?

If so, please contact the Public Center

Municipality of Opsterland