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When planning an investment that may impact the environment, you need to obtain a special environmental decision. This document guides you on how to implement the project with minimal harm to nature. Learn how to obtain it and how r2eko can help you smoothly navigate through the entire procedure.
What is an environmental decision?
An environmental decision is a document that outlines the conditions you must meet to ensure that an investment has minimal impact on the environment. However, before such a decision is issued, an environmental impact assessment of the project is conducted.
When is an environmental decision required?
An environmental decision is required for investments that may have a significant impact on the environment, such as large buildings or industrial facilities. Such projects are listed in the government regulation from 2019.
The regulation categorizes investments into projects that always have a significant impact on the environment and projects that potentially have a significant impact on the environment.
Examples of projects subject to assessment include:
- Construction of sewage treatment plants
- Construction of sewerage networks
- Construction of public roads
- Construction of broadband networks
- Residential investments, garages, and parking lots
- Construction of educational facilities, hospitals, marinas, ports, and crematoriums
- Afforestation and change of forest use
How to obtain an environmental decision?
You need to present an information card about your project or a report on its environmental impact. The authority issuing the decision will assess the project’s impact on nature and provide guidance on how to implement it with minimal harm.
Importantly, the process of obtaining the decision on environmental conditions involves public participation. Before issuing the decision, the procedure is made public, and when there is significant interest, public consultations are organized.
Our environmental decision advisory services
Need an environmental decision for your investment? At r2eko, we can help you through the entire process. Here’s what we can do for you:
- We prepare information cards for projects that may potentially impact the environment, as well as reports on the project’s environmental impact. We conduct necessary natural inventories (including ornithological, dendrological, ichthyological, etc.).
- We can act on your behalf, guiding you through the entire process of obtaining an environmental decision. This saves your time and ensures that everything is done correctly.
- We approach each investment individually. We support the investor from the beginning of the investment process to establish all the details that will streamline the entire project.
- Our team of specialists from various environmental and natural sciences ensures attention to every detail. We assist in obtaining all necessary documents – from the environmental decision, through building conditions, to water permits.
The process of obtaining an environmental decision
Planning an investment and wondering how to navigate the process of obtaining an environmental decision? At r2eko, we simplify this task. Here’s what you need to know.
Stages of the Procedure
If your investment is on the list of projects that may impact the environment (according to the regulation of the Council of Ministers dated September 10, 2019), you need to prepare appropriate documentation. Obtaining the decision is one of the first and crucial documents in the investment process for the planned project.
Depending on the project, you will need either an information card or an environmental impact report. These documents include an analysis of the impact of your investment on the environment, including the results of a natural inventory and implementation variants.
The decision-making process takes into account the opinions of the community. For this purpose, public consultations may be held, allowing residents to express their comments.
The assessment of the project’s impact on the environment also results from the opinions of institutions related to environmental protection. Among those asked for opinions are, for example, the Regional Director for Environmental Protection, the Sanitary Inspectorate, and the State Water Management Wody Polskie.
Documentation Required for the Application
To apply for an environmental decision, you need to attach an information card about the project or a report on the impact of the project on the environment in written form.
Attachments to the information card for the project and the report on the impact of the project on the environment include, among other things, an excerpt and drawing from the local spatial development plan, an inventory map, an excerpt and drawing from the land register.
In the Act of October 3, 2008, on access to environmental information and its protection, public participation in environmental protection, and environmental impact assessments, the elements of the scope of the report and the card are specified.
Who receives the environmental decision?
The decision on environmental conditions is received by the investor planning to implement a specific project. It is a significant attachment for further decisions and permits, such as building conditions decisions.
What are the potential barriers and challenges?
One of the main challenges is the complex and ambiguous nature of environmental protection regulations. This can make it difficult to prepare the appropriate documentation.
Applications for environmental decisions require very precise and specialized documentation. Errors or omissions can lead to delays or even a refusal to issue the decision.
Improperly prepared documentation may result in frequent requests for corrections and a long wait for the decision of the authority, or even a refusal to issue the decision. That’s why opting for specialized advice is valuable
Why should you take advantage of consultancy services?
As part of our services, we guide you through the procedure until the environmental decision is obtained.
We conduct a detailed analysis of the justification for applying for such a decision. Our strength lies in our knowledge of regulations and experience in their interpretation.
We assist in classifying projects and efficiently conduct environmental impact assessment procedures, significantly speeding up the investment process.
The environmental decision is one of the first decisions. A good understanding and clarification of all details at the beginning can save time, nerves, and money for the investor in subsequent stages of project implementation.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Process, costs, waiting time for a decision:
- Obtaining an environmental decision depends on the degree of the project’s impact on the environment and community involvement. In the simplest cases, obtaining an environmental decision takes about 3 months.
- The cost of obtaining an environmental decision depends on the requirements for conducting natural inventories and other analyses.
- A negative decision blocks the implementation of the project. Therefore, we aim to identify any problematic and contentious issues at the beginning of the environmental impact assessment procedure. Discussions with the investor and working out satisfactory project variants are crucial.
