Local authorities will in future be obliged to hear residents' views even before work begins on drafting a local plan, according to amendments to the Spatial Development Planning Law that were approved in principle on Wednesday, 28 January, by the Saeima's State Administration and Local Government Committee.

The amendments delegate to the Cabinet of Ministers the task of setting out the procedure for public involvement before the drafting of a local plan begins. This means that residents will have the opportunity to express their views at the very start of the planning process – before the local authority has even prepared the terms of reference for the local plan.

Members of the committee stressed the need for real and effective mechanisms that would allow residents to influence decision-making in good time, while fitting this participation into existing planning deadlines. They noted that it is essential to ensure that, in practice, residents' views are not only heard but also taken into account.

"The amendments are a step towards greater transparency in how local authorities handle spatial development planning matters. Involving residents at the start of the planning process will help to prevent disputes and will improve the quality of decisions. It is important that this participation is not merely a formality – the public's view must be taken into account. It is also to be welcomed that the conditions set out in detailed plans will in future be binding on everyone, ensuring continuity in planning," emphasises the committee's chair, Oļegs Burovs.

Until now, public involvement in spatial planning has mostly taken place at later stages, often only during public consultation, by which time key decisions had already been taken. The new rules provide that local authorities will have to establish the public's view in good time, thereby improving the quality of decisions and reducing the risk of conflict, the authors of the changes emphasised at the committee sitting. Several local authorities already follow this practice, but the amendments will ensure a consistent approach across the country.

At the same time, the amendments also change how detailed plans are implemented – in future they will be general administrative acts. This means that the conditions and deadlines of a detailed plan will also be binding on subsequent landowners, ensuring continuity in planning.

At present, when the owner changes, these decisions often cease to be binding, causing problems with the construction of infrastructure, the laying of roads and the fulfilment of other obligations set out in the plan.

A local plan is a local authority's long-term spatial development planning document, drawn up for a specific area – part of a state city, a municipal town or part of one, a village or part of one, or part of a rural area – in order to address a particular planning task or to add detail to or amend the spatial plan.

A detailed plan, meanwhile, is a detailed plan for part of a local authority's territory, drawn up in order to set requirements for the use of specific land units and their building parameters, as well as to specify the boundaries of land units and the restrictions applying to them.

For the changes to come into force, they must still be approved by the Saeima in three readings.