Specialist solicitor in environmental law

Environmental law is the branch of law that deals with the physical living environment: construction, housing, work, the environment, nature and spatial planning. It regulates what is permitted in which locations, from a dormer window to an industrial estate. Since 1 January 2024, the majority of these provisions have been consolidated in the Environment Act. Read more about environmental law.

You should engage a solicitor specialising in environmental law if you are dealing with planning permission, local planning regulations or enforcement matters and there is something at stake. For example, if an environmental permit has been refused, if you are facing an order subject to a penalty payment, if you are suffering planning-related damage due to a building project in the neighbourhood, or if you wish to lodge an objection to a new local planning scheme.

A lawyer has completed a law degree. Furthermore, a solicitor is sworn in, registered with the Dutch Bar Association and bound by strict rules of conduct in disciplinary proceedings, as well as specific quality requirements regarding business operations and office organisation. The most important practical difference is that, in civil proceedings before courts and tribunals, only a solicitor may act on behalf of a client (mandatory legal representation). In administrative law proceedings, anyone may represent themselves, but a lawyer specialising in environmental law is often decisive for the outcome, thanks to their experience and expertise.

Our fees depend on your case and the approach chosen. For frequently asked questions, we offer standard packages with fixed prices. An initial response to your enquiry is always free of charge. View our fees and packages.

You will usually receive an initial response to your enquiry on the same working day. This initial response is always free of charge. For more complex enquiries, we will arrange a follow-up meeting as soon as possible to discuss the matter in detail.

Both. HABITAT lawyers move seamlessly between administrative law (planning permission, enforcement, appeals against government decisions) and civil law within our specialist area of the working and living environment; this includes the letting and renting of commercial premises, houseboat law, owners’ association law, neighbour disputes and operational issues. Many cases overlap with both areas of law – which is precisely why we are equally at home in both.