How to influence land use planning

As an affected party, you have the opportunity to give oral or written feedback on the pending plan to the person preparing it. You can submit your feedback throughout the planning process. However, the planning department recommends that you submit your feedback by the deadline specified in the Participation and Evaluation Plan, or during the public event. The planning department determines who is affected by each plan. You can also inform the person preparing the plan that you want to be involved. You can find the persons preparing the plan on the plan’s own website.

The planning department prepares a Participation and Evaluation Plan for all plans, excluding those with minimal effects. It describes the background information of the plan, and how people can influence the plan in question. You can find the Participation and Evaluation Plan on the plan’s own page. Additionally, if you are an affected party within the plan area, you will automatically receive a Participation and Evaluation Plan.

The planning department sends a feedback form to the affected parties along with the Participation and Evaluation Plan. You can also share your opinion by sending a free-form letter or email directly to the person preparing the plan. The contact details of the person preparing the plan can be found in the Participation and Evaluation Plan or on the plan’s own page.

Submitting your feedback in writing is the best way to ensure your opinions reach the decision-makers of the Urban Environment Committee. 

We always present the plan proposals in public before they are approved. We inform people of the presentation on the turku.fi website and by a notice published in a newspaper.

As an affected party, you can submit a written objection if there are aspects of the plan you believe should be addressed. You must submit your objection to the City of Turku’s planning department while the plan is still available for public viewing.

The local authority’s reasoned opinion on the objection shall be made known to objectors who have so requested in writing and, at the same time, provided their address. (Alueidenkäyttölaki 65 §)

You can send emails to kaupunkisuunnittelu@turku.fi or mail to:

Urban Environment Division 
Urban Planning and Land Property 
Planning 
PO Box 355, 20101 Turku 

In planning matters, you can lodge a municipal appeal to the Turku Administrative Court within 30 days of receiving notification of the approval decision. The affected party and others are deemed to have been informed of the decision seven days after the minutes have become available to everyone on the internet.  

Grounds for the municipal appeal are:

1. the decision was made in an incorrect order
2. the authority that issued the decision (Council, Urban Environment Committee) has exceeded its powers; or
3. the decision is otherwise not in compliance with the law. 

The affected party and natural and legal persons resident in the municipality have the right to appeal. Natural and legal persons resident in a municipality are (Local Government Act, Section ) residents of the municipality, corporate entities and foundations whose domicile is in the municipality, and parties that own or control fixed assets in the municipality. In the case of minor changes to the detailed plan, only individuals whose rights, interests, or responsibilities are directly affected by the plan are entitled to lodge an appeal, rather than all natural and legal persons resident in a municipality.  

If the Administrative Court rejects the appeal, the applicant may apply to the Supreme Administrative Court for leave to appeal.