LAND · USE · APPROVAL
Develop projects.
Clarify permissibility.
Whether land can be developed or used differently depends on several legal frameworks. We assist owners, developers, neighbours and public bodies with planning, approvals and disputes concerning development and use.
Discuss your matterPlanning. Approval. Neighbours' rights.
YOUR MATTER
Building owners want to realise a project, neighbours want to protect their rights and public bodies must make lawful decisions. We assess the concern from the instructing party's role and distinguish these interests.
We assist with the legal assessment of development, extensions and changes of use. Planning constraints and approval issues are identified early. Designs and technical evidence remain the responsibility of the planners and specialists involved.
We assess whether a neighbouring project affects your own protected rights. Location, use and specific effects are evaluated against the available documents. Not every objective breach automatically gives rise to an individual right to object.
We assist your organisation with planning and procedural questions. Responsibilities, participation and the basis for decisions are considered together. In disputes, we support legal assessment and representation of your own position.
OUR SERVICES
Planning law, building regulations and other specialist legislation serve different purposes. We identify the requirements and assist with coordination with the relevant authorities.
Clarify the decisive questions in the procedure.
We assist building owners and property owners with approval issues, ancillary conditions and refusals. In separate engagements, we advise public bodies on legal procedural and decision-making questions. We assess which matters must be clarified and which documents are missing. A preliminary decision or approval is evaluated according to its specific content and binding effect.
Assess location and use in their legal context.
We advise developers on the planning status of their land and intended use. We assist municipalities with related legal questions in their planning and decisions. We examine existing plans, the surrounding area, infrastructure provision and whether the site lies within a built-up area or in the undeveloped outer area. Possible departures and exceptions are assessed against the specific project and current law.
Understand plan provisions and procedural rights.
We help owners and other affected parties assess development plan provisions and prepare submissions. We advise municipalities on the legal preparation and review of their plans. We consider objectives, participation, balancing of interests and possible effects. Whether and how a plan can be challenged is assessed against the client's own interests affected and procedural requirements.
Assess requirements and official measures.
We advise building owners and property owners on building regulations and enforcement orders. We assist authorities with legal review of their measures. Setback distances, safety and required evidence are assessed under the applicable state law. Technical assessments are provided by specialist planners; we review legal requirements, possible departures and procedural issues.
Compare the existing permission with the new use.
We assist owners and occupiers with legal assessment of a change in a building's use. In separate engagements, we support public bodies on approval or prohibition issues. We review the existing permission, actual use and proposed change. An existing building does not automatically permit every new use; additional requirements are assessed separately.
Coordinate preservation and alteration legally.
We advise owners and project managers on legal questions concerning protected buildings or their surroundings. We assist public bodies in assessing requirements and decisions. We examine protection status, proposed measures and permissions required under the relevant state law. Specialist assessments and heritage conservation concerns are coordinated with the responsible parties.
Structure major projects and affected interests.
We assist developers with legal assessment of higher-level planning and approval issues. We advise affected owners, businesses and institutions on participation and possible objections. We establish the procedural stage, documents and specific effects. Required specialist planning input and the scope of specialised procedural support are agreed in advance.
Distinguish individual rights from project interests.
We help neighbours assess whether a project may infringe their own protected rights. We advise building owners on assessing and defending corresponding objections. Location, distances, use and specific effects are evaluated under the applicable rules. Private-law neighbour issues are distinct and are addressed separately where needed.
WORKING TOGETHER
We begin with the land, project and procedural stage. Legal assessment is connected with existing planning documents and the relevant specialist input.
We review location, use, plans and existing decisions. Participation deadlines, service of documents and the planned start of construction are recorded.
We assess the applicable requirements and how you are affected. Further planning documents, specialist questions and costs are agreed.
We assist with submissions, legal correspondence and the agreed legal remedies. Changes to the project are assessed for their effects.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
An initial guide to common questions. Your legal position, the documents and the facts determine the assessment of your individual case.
Legal information: 1 November 2026
The provisions of a qualified development plan and assured infrastructure provision are central planning requirements. Building regulations and other specialist legal requirements may also need review. A single plan drawing therefore does not answer every question about a particular project.
No. Within continuously built-up areas, permissibility may be governed by section 34 of the Federal Building Code (BauGB), particularly whether the project fits its immediate surroundings and infrastructure provision is assured. Further rules apply to other locations or particular projects. Assessment must be specific to the site.
No. Exemption from a procedure does not replace compliance with the applicable public-law rules. Other specialist permissions may also be needed. The rules depend, among other things, on the project, location and state law.
For an individual legal remedy, it is particularly necessary to assess whether a provision is affected that also specifically protects that neighbour's rights. General criticism of the project is not necessarily enough. We clarify the location, specific effects and legal impact on the neighbour.
Yes. We assess their own duties and procedural position. Advice to developers, neighbours or public bodies describes possible separate engagements. Conflicts of interest are clarified before instructions are accepted.
Our work concerns legal assessment and support. Plans, structural calculations and other technical evidence are prepared by qualified specialists. We agree which documents are needed for the relevant legal question.
Ideally before the new use is firmly planned or commenced. The existing permission and a specific description of the change are helpful. We assess the public-law questions and further coordination required.
