Netherlands Soil Protection guideline for industrial activities

The Netherlands Soil Protection guideline for industrial activities (NRB) has been confirmed at administrative level by the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment/Directorate General for the Environment (VROM/DGM), the Union of Water Boards, the Association of Provinces, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities within the Soil Steering Party (Stubo). Hence the NRB has the status of a harmonising tool for assessing the need and reasonableness of soil protection measures and facilities.

The NRB does not have any formal legal status but as a tool that has been confirmed at administrative level it does have a powerful steering function. The NRB is not binding. Deviations from it are possible provided these are clearly motivated in e.g. the preamble to the environmental permit. Consequently application of the NRB is not optional. There may be deviations but there have to be clear reasons for these bearing in mind equality before the law. It is only once the NRB has been converted into conditions in permits or general administrative orders that legally binding regulations arise.

Downloads

• Readers guide
• A1 Preventive soil protection
• A2 Soil protection and the Soil Protection Guideline
• A3 Determining soil protection strategy
• A4 Measures
• A5 Facilities
• B1 Reducing the risk of dispersion
• B2 Impermeablefacilities
• B3 Organisational Measures