SEA IN THE CONTEXT OF LANDTUSE PLANNING

Municipal comprehensive plans (översiktsplan).According to the PBA, all municipalities must prepare a municipal comprehensive plan whichshall cover and apply to the whole of the area of the municipality. The plan is to guidedecisions regarding use of land and water. The comprehensive plans can be supplemented bya detailed comprehensive plan for a certain geographical area, such as city district or otherpopulation centres or specific sectors, such as wind power. Furthermore, the plan mustreflect how the municipality intends to take national interests into consideration inaccordance with national objectives, as expressed in the Environmental Code. The plan isnot binding for the authorities or individuals. For every four-yearly election period, themunicipal council is required to evaluate the plan and to decide whether it is necessary toreview the plan.Detailed development plans (detaljplan) are used for detailed control of land use and developmentin a certain site or an area. In contrast to the regional plan and the comprehensive plan, thedetailed development plan has a strong legal status and is binding for authorities andindividuals and sets the frame for building permissions. The main aims of the detaileddevelopment plans are both to regulate change in land use and development, as well as toensure the need for preservation of individual buildings and the natural and builtenvironment with regard to development.Special Area Regulations (områdebestämmelser) have a binding effect and can be applied withina defined area to ensure that the aims of the comprehensive plan can be achieved. Theregulations can be applied in areas without a detailed development plan, and are not ascomprehensive as detailed development plans. The special area regulations can be theprinciples for e.g. land use, size and density of development within a certain area.55