Legal Expert Spatial Planning

Project overview

For Waterschap Limburg, YER is looking for a Legal Expert Spatial Planning

The position

Within the High Water Protection Program (HWBP) of Waterschap Limburg, various dike reinforcement projects are being prepared and realized. These projects require specialist spatial planning-legal expertise to ensure that the necessary decision-making, permitting, and authorizations proceed carefully and lawfully.

The assignment focuses on independently carrying out legally substantive assessments and providing specialist advice on spatial planning procedures and associated decision-making processes.

The emphasis is on legally reviewing planning products, assessing procedural risks, and advising on the legal coherence between spatial planning decision-making, permitting, and land acquisition.

The contractor will provide independent legal analyses, concrete text proposals, and substantiated recommendations that contribute to legally sound decision-making and limit the risks of objection and appeal procedures.

Intended results and deliverables: The assignment includes the following results:

Execution of the assignment: The contractor is responsible for independently carrying out the agreed-upon legal advisory and review activities and delivering the associated results. The activities consist of:

About the company

The water board works daily to ensure safe, sufficient, and clean water in the region. The organization works on, among other things, water safety, preventing and solving water nuisance, managing dikes and waterways, and purifying wastewater.

Within the water board, various disciplines work closely together. From field service and technology to policy, permitting, and customer contact. As a Specialist Customer Contact & Reception, you are an important link between residents, businesses, visitors, and the internal organization. You ensure that questions and reports are handled quickly, carefully, and customer-oriented.

What you bring

Results-oriented progress: The concrete delivery moments will be coordinated with the spatial planning procedures and decision-making planning of the involved projects. During the assignment period, the following results are foreseen:

Phase 1 – Legal analysis and assessment

Inventory of relevant spatial planning issues and ongoing procedures within projects such as Well, Lob van Gennep, Vierwaarden, and Baarlo – Hout-Blerick. Delivery of initial legal assessments, advice, and text proposals for spatial planning decisions.

Phase 2 – Advice on procedures and authorizations

Execution of legal assessments regarding permitting and other necessary authorizations. Delivery of legally substantiated draft decisions, advice, and correspondence, fitting within the agreed project schedule.

Phase 3 – Legal review and risk management

Execution of additional reviews of planning products and decision-making documents. Delivery of legal risk analyses and concrete recommendations to strengthen the legal soundness of spatial planning decision-making.

Phase 4 – Completion and handover

Completion of agreed legal assessments and advisory products. Delivery of concluding advice and an overview of relevant legal points of attention and recommendations for the follow-up phase of the involved projects.

Independence and responsibility: The contractor will carry out the agreed-upon activities independently and determine the method of execution within the agreed frameworks and delivery moments.

The contractor is responsible for the legal quality, diligence, and applicability of the delivered advice, assessments, and text proposals.

Coordination with involved project organizations and subject matter experts will take place as necessary to obtain relevant information, discuss legal findings, and deliver the agreed results on time.

Offer

You will work with a team of enthusiastic colleagues within the spatial domain and can count on a good work-life balance. We also reward your commitment and performance with an attractive salary and appealing extras. Our employment conditions at a glance:

• Legally substantiated advice on spatial planning procedures and decisions, including environmental plans and environmental permits for out-of-plan environmental activities.
• Specialist assessments of permits, exemptions, and other authorizations necessary for the preparation and execution of dike reinforcement projects.
• Legal reviews of planning products, focusing on the legality, completeness, and legal soundness of the intended decision-making.
• Concrete text proposals for legal documents, including draft advice, draft decisions, and draft letters.
• Advice on the legal relationship between spatial planning procedures and the land acquisition task.
• Written risk analyses and recommendations to mitigate legal and procedural risks, including potential objection and appeal procedures.
• Timely delivery of agreed-upon legal products, aligned with the relevant decision-making moments within the projects.
• Analyzing spatial planning-legal issues within various HWBP projects.
• Reviewing planning products and associated procedures against current laws and regulations, including the Environmental Act.
• Advising on the necessary legal steps, permits, and authorizations for the preparation and realization of dike reinforcement projects.
• Assessing the legal coherence between spatial planning decision-making and land acquisition.
• Identifying and analyzing legal risks and formulating appropriate solutions.
• Drafting and reviewing legally substantive text proposals for decisions, advice, and correspondence.
• Providing specialist legal expertise to various HWBP projects, both in preparation for the realization phase and during other project phases.
• Competitive fixed salary, depending on knowledge and experience;
• 25 vacation days and 8.33% holiday allowance;
• 7.55% 13th-month payment;
• Travel expenses reimbursement or lease car;
• Good pension scheme;
• Overtime arrangement: payment in salary or time off in lieu;
• The above applies to contract collaboration; freelance (ZZP) is also possible, of course;
• Continuously challenging assignments in the spatial domain;
• Intensive and personal guidance;
• Opportunity to participate in a personal coaching program;
• Inspiring masterclasses.

Project details

• Start: flexible
• Location: Roermond, NL
• Languages: Dutch