Environmental Law
We are living in an ever more complex world. When governments or large businesses are dealing with our living environment, they have to make choices all the time. Big and conflicting interests are often at stake in these choices. Environmental law offers the framework to achieve a fair balance.
Our multi-disciplinary team supports clients in high-profile, complex and often business-critical proceedings. We assist our clients with regulations across a range of business sectors. Our core group of clients is made up of various public bodies, commercial real estate, public housing, project developers, establishments subject to environmental rules (such as factories), and the art and culture sector. We are highly specialized in environmental law, which includes natural environment law and nature conservation law. We collaborate frequently with the government in the realizing of projects and investments, policy making and permit obtainment.
Here are some examples of large-scale projects in which we provided legal support to various government bodies/large enterprises:
- constructing wind farms in the North Sea in the EEZ;
- constructing motorways and the realization of large business parks (XXL parks);
- obtaining a revision permit for a large factory with hazardous substances;
- realizing housing projects and transformations in inner cities.
Our work/advice included the following:
- drafting permits;
- instructing technical experts;
- conducting several talks with stakeholders and governments;
- litigating before the courts and the Administrative Law Division of the Council of State;
- advising on the way in which new technical applications that are not regulated yet, or for which existing regulations are too restrictive, can be applied without being contrary to European and Dutch laws (e.g. new applications and experiments in the field of sustainability, for which there are no regulations yet.).
Our strength is that we offer our clients the full package of legal project management: making a legal project planning, checking in what way procedures can be speeded up, instructing research agencies, checking technical reports for their legal tenability, and conducting legal proceedings if necessary. With our multi-disciplinary team, we offer our clients the full know-how and expertise necessary in this area. We are able to offer this service thanks to our specialism and thanks to our experience in collaborating with the government in the realizing of projects and investments, policy making and permit obtainment.
