At the end of 2016, the draft decision concerning the Zuidasdok tree-felling permit (for trees both in the City of Amsterdam and in the municipality of Ouder-Amstel) was made available for public inspection. Any stakeholders who had questions or comments on this matter were able to submit their points-of-view, officially referred to as formal responses. We received a total of 28 responses. These concerned matters such as the site at which replacement trees would be planted, the tree-felling permit’s period of validity (10 years), and the re-use of timber from the trees to be felled. All formal responses have been carefully reviewed and dealt with. You can use the adjoining link to download the Memorandum of Response for the trees in the City of Amsterdam and in the municipality of Ouder-Amstel.
Amendments
In connection with the formal responses, two amendments have been made. The first of these is a textual modification, involving a reference to the correct article in the Infrastructure (Planning Procedures) Act. The second amendment concerns the inclusion in the environmental permit of a legal requirement to plant replacement trees. This means that, in effect, 4,000 replacement trees with a standard trunk circumference of 18-20 centimetres must be planted in the Zuidasdok project area. Previously, the only condition stipulated in the permit was that there should be financial compensation for the felling of trees.
Tree-felling permit granted, open to appeal
The competent authorities, the Environmental Service for the North Sea Canal Area and the municipality of Ouder-Amstel, have decided to grant the Zuidasdok tree-felling permit. Two decisions are involved, one for the trees in the City of Amsterdam and one for those in the municipality of Ouder-Amstel. From Thursday 2 March until Wednesday 12 April 2017, any stakeholders who had already submitted a formal response to the draft decision could lodge an appeal against the decisions. Those stakeholders who had not submitted a formal response could only appeal against amendments to the decisions. This involves submitting a notice of appeal to the Administrative Law Division of the Council of State.
Where can you inspect the decisions?
The decisions can be inspected digitally at the websites of the Environmental Service for the North Sea Canal Area and the municipality of Ouder-Amstel. The official announcement can be found at overheid.nl. This gives details of the locations where the physical documents can be inspected. It also contains instructions on how to lodge an appeal against the decisions.
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