The renovation of the Binnenhof in The Hague may proceed. Environmental organization Mobilisation for the Environment (MOB) had filed three lawsuits because the government was allegedly circumventing environmental regulations, but the court did not agree.
A few kilometers from the Binnenhof are the protected nature reserves Meijendel and Westduinpark. Both are so-called Natura 2000 areas.
The intention is that nitrogen deposition in Natura 2000 areas is limited. However, due to a construction exemption, the nitrogen emissions did not need to be considered during the renovation of the parliament building.
Following a legal procedure by MOB, the Council of State ruled in 2022 that such an exemption is in violation of European nature conservation rules. The required permit was eventually granted. MOB then filed three new lawsuits because the government was allegedly making a mockery of its own nitrogen rules. That would set a bad example for citizens and companies.
But the court in The Hague rules that the province, after earlier sloppiness, has ultimately made it sufficiently plausible that the Natura 2000 areas are not affected by the renovation and by the use of the Binnenhof when the renovation is complete. The permit was therefore rightly issued, according to the court.
The decision to renovate the Binnenhof dates back to 2015. Meanwhile, the completion has been delayed by at least two years, until 2028. The costs are more than four times as high. The renovation is expected to cost the State at least 2 billion euros, while initially 475 million was expected.
