Environmental group trying to stop parliament renovations over nitrogen emissions
Environmental organization Mobilization for the Environment (MOB) asked the province of Zuid-Holland to halt the renovations of the Binnenhof, the square in The Hague that houses many of the Netherlands’ political buildings. According to the organization, the renovation project doesn’t have an environmental permit for the nitrogen it emits, NOS reports.
The enforcement request follows a ruling by the Council of State two weeks ago, scrapping a building exemption that allowed construction projects to continue without a nitrogen permit. The Netherlands' highest administrative court ruled that the exemption violated European nature conservation rules.
And the renovation project for the Binnenhof used that exemption, according to NOS. Now that the exemption no longer applies, the renovations are happening illegally, MOB argued. The renovations release relatively little nitrogen, but it is located just 3 kilometers from the protected nature reserves Meijendel and Berkheide in the dunes. The nature reserves already have more nitrogen deposits than they can handle, which means a court may rule that even a little bit extra is too much.
This is mainly a matter of principle, Valentijn Wösten, the lawyer representing MOB, said to NOS. The environmental organization called it “inexplicable” that farmers have to halt barn constructions because of nitrogen errors by the government, but the renovations of the Binnenhof can continue without a mandatory permit. “And if anyone has to obey the law, it is the heart of democracy,” Wösten said. “We are sorry to have to do this, but apparently unorthodox means are needed to convince the politicians of the urgency. Action must be taken now.”
The province of Zuid-Holland told NOS that it is “conceivable” that the Binnenhof renovations will require a nature permit “due to the expired building exemption.” To date, it received no application for one. The central government’s real estate agency, Rijksvastgoedbedrijf, told the broadcaster it is investigating whether a new permit application is necessary.
A spokesperson for Minister Hugo de Jonge (Housing and Spatial Planning), who is politically responsible for the Rijksvastgoedbedrijf, told NOS that he expects the current to continue, but he is investigating the consequences of the expired building exemption for the rest of the renovation.
