Decree nr. BWBR0030378 of 22 August 2011 containing general rules for the protection of national spatial interests (Decree on general rules on spatial planning).

This Decree, implementing provisions of articles 3.37, 4.1, fourth paragraph, 4.3, first paragraph, and 10.8 of the Spatial Planning Act, provides for the amendment and elaboration of zoning plans and related issuance of environmental permit concerning national waterways, protected areas and bodies of surface water open to the public traffic of ships, with the exception of the North Sea, the Wadden Sea, the Western Scheldt and the IJsselmeer. The Decree concerns: safeguard zone provision; safety of shipping on waterways when adopting a zoning plan related to land within the boundaries of a national waterway; designation and boundary of land reclamation area; zoning plan and use of land; designation of areas for compensation of the effects of land reclamation; designation, boundary and establishment of seabed protection area; destination and uses of nature and recreation areas, and protection of the ecosystem; coastal zone management and primary flood defence; rules regarding land belonging to a primary flood defence.
Further matters covered by this Decree concern: zoning plan designating new uses in a river bed, including: the construction or modification of hydraulic structures, and hydroelectric power stations, creation, improvement or management of natural protected areas, measures for improving water quality, the extraction of surface minerals; landscape and cultural-historical protection of the Wadden Sea area; extraction of surface minerals, excavation and shell extraction in the sea area; zoning plan for electricity supply; pipelines of national importance for the transport of natural gas and hazardous substances.