Supra-local planning
The planning system in Germany is divided into three levels(federal, state and local). At the federal level, guiding principles and planning principles are developed for the whole of Germany. State planning transfers these to the specific circumstances of their own federal state in their State Development Plan (LEP). The LEP NRW was revised in 2017. It is currently undergoing an amendment process. In this process, citizens, public bodies, municipalities and the district governments can express their views and thus influence the development of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. As each region in NRW has its own specific characteristics, there are also regional plans that are drawn up by the district government in cooperation with the municipalities. In these plans, the specifications of the LEP are specified for each region. In the administrative district of Düsseldorf, the Düsseldorf Regional Plan (RPD) came into force in spring 2018. The local authorities' land use plans must be derived from the regional plan and approved by the district government. In turn, the land use plans are used to derive the development plans that regulate the specific use and usability of the land.
In general, the planning system is guided by the counterflow principle. There is a regular exchange between all planning levels, so that the concerns of the municipalities are also known at state and federal level and can be taken into account. Public bodies and the public can also comment on the planning procedures at the various planning levels. The planning system is supplemented by sectoral planning.