To facilitate the development of environmental plans, KuiperCompagnons has created a standard environmental plan (hereinafter referred to as "the standard"). This standard is modeled after the framework provided by the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) and inspired by various examples of rule implementations in environmental plans. The KC-standard provides a framework for the structure of the environmental plan and serves as an example for the substantive rules, but it assumes that the final content of the plan is determined by the local governance ambitions of the municipality. Currently, we are using our standard to develop approximately twenty environmental plans in the Netherlands. In our opinion, it offers a clear and practical structure that allows for a wide range of content possibilities.

The standard is designed in such a way that regulations can easily be incorporated for almost all conceivable activities with implications for the physical living environment. The standard already includes example rules for a significant number of common or general topics. Sometimes, these are different sets of regulations for the same subject ("rule packages"), providing the municipality with the choice based on their policy preferences. Of course, the standard rules can always be adjusted to fit the local situation if necessary.

In developing the rules of the standard, we drew inspiration from various sources, including the "staalkaarten" (sample regulations) provided by the VNG and the "bruidsschat" (initial provisions). As such, the standard serves as an excellent starting point for the development of an initial environmental plan. In practice, we have found that this approach works much better than starting from scratch with the municipality. Beginning with a "blank slate" tends to lead to less concrete discussions and meandering debates. When the standard serves as the foundation, the discussions become more focused, constructive, and conclusive.

We offer our standard to you, providing you with a framework and a basic set of rules for an environmental plan for the entire municipality. It is important to note that the standard plan is intended to be used as a basis (structure and standard rules) for developing the municipality's first environmental plan; it is not a complete plan that can be directly adopted by the municipal council. Customization based on the specific areas is necessary for that. Therefore, the standard is designed in a modular manner, allowing the municipality to adapt and expand it according to specific areas. This modular nature enables you to respond effectively to requests for modifications to the environmental plan during the transition phase, considering specific spatial developments. This prevents the proliferation of multiple environmental plans (with potentially different structures, as the structure is not legally prescribed) for various sub-areas. It becomes much easier to merge these sub-plans into one comprehensive environmental plan later on.