Participation, consideration, decision: conducting planning approval procedures with legal certainty

Participation, consideration, decision: conducting planning approval procedures with legal certainty

Janko Geßner | Judith Affeldt | Natalie Carstens

Lecture

Event on: 13.04.2026

Time: 09:00 - 16:00

Speaker: Rechtsanwalt Janko Geßner, Lawyer Judith Affeldt,Lawyer Natalie Carstens
Organiser: vhw- Federal Association for Housing and Urban Development

Content of the event

Planning approval is a key instrument in the realisation of extensive infrastructure projects and major projects such as transport routes, energy plants or other projects of supra-regional importance. In the process, many public and private interests are regularly affected and must be weighed up with legal certainty. However, the increasing complexity, high demands on transparency and participation, tight deadlines and new legal regulations, for example on climate protection, pose new challenges for the practice of planning approval.

Aspects of procedural law - efficient process management, the use of external project managers, public participation through to the weighing up and justification of decisions - are increasingly coming to the fore. Inadequate consideration, failure to take account of environmental and climate law requirements and formal shortcomings can lead to legal challenges that can delay or even prevent projects.

In this webinar, you will gain a comprehensive insight into the structure and content of a planning approval decision. You will learn how to organise consultation procedures effectively and how to make legally compliant decisions while avoiding typical errors. The webinar also offers practical examples, a variety of approaches for overcoming the challenges of planning approval and an overview of relevant current case law.

The brains behind the event.

Janko Geßner

Rechtsanwalt, specialised lawyer for administrative law, partner at DOMBERT Rechtsanwälte Part mbB in Potsdam, lecturer at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg

Judith Affeldt

specialises in legal issues in the field of renewable energies as well as environmental and planning law. In addition to project management for the Federal Network Agency in connection with the expansion of extra-high voltage lines, she also advises operators of wind energy and photovoltaic systems as well as battery storage facilities on planning and approval procedures and on issues relating to grid connection.

Judith Affeldt

Natalie Carstens

Diplom-Finanzwirtin (FH) and lawyer at DOMBERT Rechtsanwälte Part mmB in Potsdam. She specialises in construction, planning and environmental law and works nationwide in this field.

DOMBERT Lawyers

Our work covers all legal issues and conflicts in which the state, municipalities or authorities are involved.