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Legislation and instruments

A comprehensive overview of soil legislation is provided in the document “Dutch Soil Policies”. For additional information about Dutch laws, regulations, circulars, policy documents and cabinet positions concerning the soil policy in recent years, see also the website of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment.

Soil quality standards and site risk assessment models
Soil quality standards and site risk assessment models are at the heart of the Dutch policies on soil protection and soil reuse (sustainable land management and site remediation). These instruments underwent a comprehensive review from 2005 to 2007. A summary of the end results can be found here. More detailed information can be found on:

National soil protection guidelines
The national soil protection guidelines (NRB) have been confirmed at the administrative level by the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Union of Water Boards, the Association of Provinces, and the Association of Netherlands Municipalities within the Soil Steering Party (Stubo, formerly called Stubowa). Therefore, the NRB guidelines serve as a harmonised toolkit to assess the need and feasibility of soil protection measures and facilities. While the guidelines do not have a formal legal status, they do have a powerful steering function because they were confirmed at the highest administrative level. Deviations from the guidelines are possible, provided that clear reasons are provided (such as in the preamble to an environmental permit). Any deviations must be accompanied by proper reasons because, once the NRB guidelines have been converted into conditions in permits or general administrative orders, they give rise to legally binding regulations.

Other instruments
Numerous instruments regarding site investigation, soil sampling strategies, soil treatment and reuse, remediation technologies, chemical analyses and the like are available (although most of the information is in Dutch). Useful sources of information include the following:

[www.sikb.nl]: SIKB is a network, encompassing both the private and the public sector, set up to continuously and structurally enhance the standards of activities relating to soil management in the Netherlands. This includes decision making, service provision, as well as soil remediation and soil handling.

[www.nen.nl]: NEN also serves as the Registration Authority for a number of international standards. The NEN website provides information about standards and standardisation.

[www.skbodem.nl]: SKB – "the Centre for Soil Quality Management and Knowledge Transfer" develops and transfers the knowledge needed by owners and managers of plots of land and sites in order to efficiently coordinate the quality of the soil with the intended purpose. SKB supports the development and presentation of new types of collaboration, new approaches and techniques in order to improve the coordination between soil use and soil quality, and it improves the wide social acceptance thereof.