It is a municipal urban planning regulation submitted for approval by the Minister of Home Affairs and the Minister for the Environment. It constitutes the basic regulatory framework for organising the municipal territory and divides it into different zones, each containing specific constraints depending on the purpose of the zone. The General Development Plan (PAG) includes a written part and a graphical part with relatively concise provisions. As a result, it must be implemented through Particular Development Plans (PAP), which contain much more detailed provisions, including dimensional requirements. It should be noted that the PAG of the Municipality of Schifflange was the first in the Grand Duchy to be approved — already in 2012.

The PAP is a municipal urban planning regulation also subject to approval by the Minister of Home Affairs. The Minister for the Environment does not have supervisory authority in matters relating to Particular Development Plans.

The Particular Development Plan specifies and implements the regulatory provisions of the General Development Plan concerning a zone or part of a zone.

A development project is designated as “particular” not because it is drawn up in a private interest, but because it specifies and completes, for certain plots, the General Development Plan. Thus, the duly approved Particular Development Plan forms part of the municipal police regulations, similar to municipal building regulations, and is therefore of a strictly binding nature.

Two types of Particular Development Plans are available to municipalities, and to private individuals, for the organisation of their territory. They are essentially urban planning documents that regulate the concrete development of constructions within a locality.

In principle, the Particular Development Plan takes the form of a “new district” plan. However, municipalities may define in their General Development Plan plots or groups of plots constituting an urbanised zone for which an “existing district” Particular Development Plan must be drawn up.

These plans have the particularity of being drawn up exclusively by municipalities. Once the plans have been prepared, the mayor only needs to issue a building permit. They therefore operate in a manner comparable to the former “building regulations” established under the law of 12 June 1937 concerning the development of towns and other major agglomerations.

Building Permits

Construction, renovation, and alteration works on a building must first be authorised by the mayor, who may issue a building permit where applicable. It is prohibited to begin any works without having obtained this authorisation. Every project must comply with the General Development Plan as well as the building regulations or, where applicable, differential regulations.

Regional and Cross‑Border Development

It is clear that the development of a municipality can no longer take place in isolation but requires close cooperation with neighbouring municipalities and all regional actors. Schifflange is therefore represented in various syndicates and organisations:

• SYCOSAL – Inter‑municipal syndicate for public sanitation

• TICE – Inter‑municipal transport network in the canton of Esch

• SIDOR – Inter‑municipal syndicate for waste management for the southern and central municipalities

• SIVEC – Inter‑municipal syndicate with ecological vocation

• SICONA – Western inter‑municipal syndicate for nature conservation

• MINETT‑KOMPOST – Inter‑municipal syndicate – regional centre for composting organic waste

• SES – Southern Water Syndicate

• SUDGAZ – Natural gas supplier and distributor

• PROSUD – Inter‑municipal syndicate for the promotion and development of the Southern region

• GECT – European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation

• Contrat de rivière de l’Alzette – River contract for the Alzette

• Climate Pact