Municipalities in Denmark and Norway implement new land-use and planning strategies

In Greve Municipality, Denmark, officials are implementing measures to reduce waiting times for construction permit processing. The Plan and Climate Committee aims to accelerate the system through increased staffing, new workflows, and improved communication with citizens and businesses. Due to a backlog of older cases, some new applications may be processed faster than those submitted prior to June 2026.

In Norway, a new knowledge base has been developed to support climate-friendly land-use planning across the Østlandet region. Through the ‘Climate-smart land-use planning’ project, mapping data and tools have been created to help municipalities assess the climate impact of land use, specifically regarding the development of carbon-rich areas. Over 100 participants attended a seminar to learn how to use these tools, which have already been distributed to 57 municipalities, with more to follow in Innlandet and Telemark.