On 23 May 2020, the so-called Planning Safeguards Act came into force. This is intended to ensure that a large number of planning and approval procedures that require mandatory public participation do not come to a standstill or even fail due to the Corona pandemic. The law expires on 31 March 2021.

Many planning and approval procedures provide for the physical presence of persons, for example when inspecting documents or at discussion meetings, and therefore cannot be carried out as usual for reasons of infection control. The Act therefore introduces temporary substitutes for such procedural steps.

For the participation of the public, the possibilities of the Internet are to be used above all. If, for example, the relevant procedural provisions require physical publication and interpretation, the possibility is created to replace this with "digital interpretation" on the Internet. Where the relevant procedural law requires the holding of a hearing or an oral hearing, an "online consultation" may be held instead.

For further information see the press release of BMU and BMI of 29 April 2020 as well as Infoservice 3/2020 of the law firm Köchling.

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