Planning Act (2015)

The Act regulates spatial planning in Estonia. Its aim is to create, by promoting environmentally sound and economically, culturally and socially sustainable development, the preconditions that are necessary for democratic, long-term and balanced spatial development that takes into account the needs and interests of all members of the Estonian society to occur, for democratic, long-term and balanced land use pattern that takes into account the needs and interests of all members of the Estonian society to form and for high-quality living and built environment to develop. The Act establishes the principles of planning and the requirements for the planning procedure and for the implementation of spatial plans. Planning extends to land and water areas, airspace and the ground below surface. In the cases provided in law, the Act applies to areas extending to the external border of the exclusive economic zone. The Act applies to planning insofar as it is not contrary to State Secrets and Classified Information of Foreign States Act. This Act does not apply to the planning of construction works that serve national defence purposes the main purpose of which is to deal with communication, advance warning or storage matters, except where the construction work is located in an area where the preparation of a detailed plan is mandatory. The strategic environmental assessment that is conducted in the course of preparing a spatial plan is subject to the procedural requirements arising from this Act. The requirements to the content of the strategic environmental assessment report and other conditions are established in the Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management System Act.