How is the planning process progressing?

The initiative to draw up a plan may be taken by a landowner, landowner or other member of the municipality, community, company, administration, authority, city council or city council.

The initiative must be in writing. It can be done either in free form or by means of an application form. The form can be found in the section on planning forms. The application must indicate the purpose of the request and the aim of the request. The application can be completed using the basic information form, which can also be found in the forms.

The initiative and its annexes must be signed and sent by post to the City of Varkaus, Technical Department, P.O. Box 208, 78201 VARKAUS, or by e-mail to: kirjaamo@varkaus.fi

Under the Land Use Act, the municipality has the right to charge landowners for the costs of land use planning, urban development and other official tasks. These costs include fees for zoning, exemption decisions and opinions on the zoning situation.

The city charges landowners for the costs of drawing up the plan in accordance with the approved rate. A start-up agreement or other agreement is drawn up to determine the amount of the costs and the basis for charging them. The content of the plan cannot be agreed in advance, but the objectives may be set out in the agreement.

The fees specified in the tariff apply to the services and products of the planning service area. The fee shall be determined in accordance with the tariff in force on the date of receipt of the application or order.

Initiatives are dealt with by the Technical Service. If necessary, the initiatives are discussed by the Technical Service's management group, after which the initiator is informed of how to proceed. Negative responses to initiatives are always dealt with by the Technical Committee, whose decision may be the subject of an appeal. The city council may also refer the decision of the technical committee to the city council.

If the initiative leads to the drawing up of a plan, a participation and assessment plan is drawn up. The Technical Committee is informed of the initiation of the project, the participation and assessment plan and the objectives. The draft is announced in the Warkauden Zeitung and on the town notice board. The main stakeholders are informed by letter.

The participation and assessment plan tells stakeholders at the early stages of the plan-making process what the plan covers, what the objectives are and how to get involved.

In the process of drawing up a plan, all those whose living, working or other living conditions may be significantly affected by the plan, i.e. landowners and holders, neighbours and residents, businesses and employees, etc., are involved. They also include the authorities and associations whose areas of competence are concerned.

Landowners or tenants are informed by letter; in the case of housing associations and real estate companies, the notification is sent to the manager or chairman of the board. Other interested parties are informed via the Internet, the Warkauden Lehti-magazine and the town's notice boards.

The participation and assessment plan is available for public inspection until the draft plan is made public at the City Hall in the Technical Department's showroom (Ahlströminkatu 6, 4th floor) and on the internet.

Interested parties have the opportunity to express their views on the participation and assessment plan. Comments can be sent by post to the City of Varkaus, Registry Office, P.O. Box 208, 78201 VARKAUS or by e-mail to kirjaamo@varkaus.fi.

During the preparatory phase, a draft plan or several alternatives are drawn up. In accordance with Section 30 of the Land Use and Building Decree, the draft is kept open for 14 to 30 days at the Technical Department's showroom (Ahlströminkatu 6, 4th floor) and on the internet. The public will be informed by letter, on the Internet, by an announcement in the Warkauden Lehtinen and on the town notice board.

During the period when the draft plan is on display, interested parties may submit their comments to the City of Varkaus, Technical Department, Registry Office, P.O. Box 208, 78201 VARKAUS or by e-mail to kirjaamo@varkaus.fi.

The opinions received on the draft plan will be taken into account in the preparation of the draft plan.

In accordance with § 27 of the Land Use and Building Decree, the Technical Committee will publish the draft plan for 14 to 30 days. Comments on the proposal will be sought from the various authorities and communities. Notification of the opening of the public consultation will be made on the Internet, on the town notice board and by letter to landowners in the area.

All interested parties have the right to submit written comments on the proposal, which must be sent during the period of public inspection to the City of Varkaus, Registry Office, P.O. Box 208, 78201 VARKAUS or by e-mail to kirjaamo@varkaus.fi

If the draft plan is substantially amended as a result of the comments, it will be re-opened for consultation.

The Technical Committee approves the responses to the objections and comments and the draft plan.
The City Council or the City Council approves the draft plan after the Technical Committee has discussed it.

The Registry forwards the plans approved by the Council to the authorities. The decision of approval is also sent to the initiators and to those who have lodged objections.

An appeal against the decision to approve the plan is lodged with the Administrative Court of Eastern Finland and the Supreme Administrative Court in accordance with the notice of appeal.

The Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY) may submit a written request for rectification of the City Council's decision to approve a plan if the plan has been drawn up without taking into account the national regional development objectives or otherwise in contravention of the provisions of the law and if it is in the public interest that the matter be referred back to the municipality for a decision. The municipality shall notify the Eastern Finland Administrative Court and the complainants in writing of the new decision taken following the request for rectification referred to below.

The plan will enter into force when the period for appealing the City Council's decision has expired and the decision has been published. The City Council may, before the general and zoning plan becomes final, order it to enter into force for those parts of the plan not subject to appeal.

The registry office sends the plan which has entered into force to the authorities. Applicants will also be informed of the entry into force of the plan.