Plankart
A plankart (zoning map) is the legally binding map drawing in a land-use plan. Using colours, lines and symbols, it shows how an area is to be used: where housing can be built, where there is to be road, open space or business use, and where the boundaries between different purposes run. The plankart is the core of a zoning plan or the land-use element of a municipality plan, and together with the planning provisions it is what actually governs what is permitted on a plot.
The content and the drawing conventions are governed by the Planning and Building Act, section 12-5, which divides land use into six main purposes: buildings and installations, transport installations and technical infrastructure, green structure, defence, agriculture, nature and outdoor recreation purposes (LNF), and use and protection of the sea and watercourses. Each area on the map is coloured according to its land-use purpose, and a national drawing standard makes sure a plankart reads the same way whichever municipality it comes from. The main categories and the colours are collected in the zoning plan legend. The map also shows consideration zones, which mark areas with particular concerns such as flood risk, cultural heritage sites or noise, placed on top of the land-use purposes.
The plankart must always be read together with the planning provisions. The map shows where and what, while the provisions state how much and how: utilisation rate, building heights, requirements for outdoor space, parking and sequencing requirements. A plankart on its own therefore does not give the full picture of what can be built; it is the interplay between map and provisions that forms the legal framework. Where the map and the provisions conflict, the relationship has to be interpreted, but both are legally binding on landowners and authorities. In cases of doubt it is common to ask the municipality for its own interpretation of what the plan allows.
Plankart exist at several levels that connect to each other. The land-use element of the municipality plan sets out the broad lines for the whole municipality, while zoning plans give detailed plankart for smaller areas. A detailed zoning plan must stay within the framework set by the municipality plan, unless an exemption is granted. Older plankart may be drawn to earlier standards and laws, so when assessing a property you need to find which plan actually applies, and read the map in the light of the law it was adopted under.
One practical point is that a plankart can hold several layers of information on the same surface. Beneath the land-use purpose itself there may be consideration zones, hazard zones and restriction zones, and in addition line symbols for building lines, sight-line zones and regulated heights. Reading a plankart correctly is therefore about understanding which symbols apply at the same time at a given point, and which provisions each of them triggers.
In Placepoint you can see the plankart in force for a property together with the matrikkel details, so that you quickly see which land-use purpose and which consideration zones apply, and can move on to the associated planning provisions.
How the dataset appears in the map
The dataset is part of the map layer Property:
From Placepoint's dictionary: Plankart
More information: Planning and Building Act, section 12-5, Planning and Building Act, section 12-7 (provisions)
English: Zoning map / plan map (plankart; the legally binding map in a land-use plan).
Frequently asked questions
What is a plankart?
A plankart is the legally binding map drawing in a land-use plan. Using colours and symbols, it shows how an area is to be used, and it is the core of a zoning plan or the land-use element of the municipality plan.
What do the colours on a plankart show?
The colours show land-use purposes under the Planning and Building Act, section 12-5: buildings, transport, green structure, LNF and more. A national drawing standard means the map reads the same way in every municipality.
Is it enough to read the plankart?
No. The plankart shows where and what, while the planning provisions state how much and how, such as utilisation rate and building heights. Both are binding and must be read together.
What is a consideration zone on the plankart?
A consideration zone marks areas with particular concerns, such as flood risk, cultural heritage sites or noise, placed on top of the land-use purposes.
Which plankart applies to a property?
There can be several levels: the land-use element of the municipality plan and more detailed zoning plans. A detailed zoning plan takes precedence over the broad lines in the municipality plan for its own area.