Estonian parliament passes Planning Act to speed up procedures
The Riigikogu passed the government-initiated Planning Act and related amendments on Wednesday to significantly simplify and speed up planning procedures for municipalities and developers.
The legislative changes allow municipalities to react to developments faster and more flexibly, end outdated or stalled plans and reduce formal and time-consuming obligations. For example, detailed plans will automatically expire if development has not started within 10 years. If the validity period needs extending, it can be done without a new public procedure.
The law eliminates the local government special spatial plan, previously used for projects like wind farms, meaning high-impact structures will now be planned using detailed plans. While the average processing time for a municipal special plan was four years, a detailed plan achieves the same result in 2.2 years on average. The county plan adoption stage will also be eliminated.
During the proceedings, several amendments were added allowing planning organizers to set reasonable deadlines for actions if not specified in other legislation. Land and Spatial Development Board will gain the right to monitor the timeliness of municipalities and other planning organizers.
The act clarifies the obligation to account for utility networks and structures in comprehensive and detailed plans. It introduces deadlines for deciding whether to establish a detailed plan and adds an option to amend them. Lawmakers also abandoned an initial proposal to end the mandatory publication of planning notices in national and county newspapers.
Additional changes ensure the Ministry of Economic Affairs remains responsible for organizing state special plans and county plans.
The amendments will enter into force in the second half of 2026, with some provisions taking effect at the beginning of next year.
Fifty-one MPs voted for the legislation and seven against.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Argo Ideon
