Conservation plan
A conservation plan (verneplan) is the professional basis prepared before an area, a building or an installation is formally protected. The plan maps history, ownership, existing and planned use, protection status and the restrictions needed to preserve the values. The plan itself is not legally binding: it is the protection decision, made on the basis of the plan, that binds the landowner and the municipality.
The term is used in two fields with different legal authority.
On the cultural heritage side, the conservation plan is the professional basis for protection under kulturminneloven (the Cultural Heritage Act). Riksantikvaren (the Directorate for Cultural Heritage) manages nationally important cultural heritage and decides on the protection of individual objects and cultural environments. The municipalities manage local cultural heritage through cultural heritage plans and provisions in zoning plans. Once a building is protected, all work on it (demolition, extensions, internal changes, façade changes) requires permission from the protection authority.
On the nature conservation side, conservation plans are used as the professional basis for establishing national parks, nature reserves, landscape protection areas and other protected areas under naturmangfoldloven chapter V (sections 33 to 51) (the Nature Diversity Act). The 2009 act sets out the basic principles for how biological diversity and natural values are to be safeguarded. A conservation plan assesses which areas should be protected, which values they hold, and which restrictions are needed. The plan goes out to public consultation before the King in Council adopts the protection decision itself.
A conservation plan differs from:
- Protected watercourses, which is a separate national plan adopted by the Storting to protect watercourses against hydropower development.
- Consideration zones in a zoning plan, which signal conservation concerns without themselves being a protection decision.
- Listing (gule lister, the municipal yellow lists, or registration in SEFRAK), which are administrative records, not protection.
For a property developer, a conservation plan in the area means there are clear limits on changing, demolishing and extending the objects concerned. It is the protection decision and its provisions that govern, not the plan in itself.
In Placepoint, cultural heritage, protected areas and watercourse protection are shown as map layers. For the detailed rules that apply to a protected building, you need to obtain the protection documents from Riksantikvaren or from the county authority's cultural heritage management.
How the dataset appears on the map
The dataset is part of the map layer Property as Cultural heritage - Askeladden WMS:
From Placepoint's dictionary: Conservation plan
More information: Lovdata: Kulturminneloven, Lovdata: Naturmangfoldloven, Riksantikvaren, Store norske leksikon: Naturvern
English: Conservation plan (statutory protection of nature or cultural heritage areas).
Frequently asked questions
What is a conservation plan for cultural heritage?
A conservation plan is a plan drawn up for an object of cultural and historical value as the basis for protection and future management. It covers history, protection status, existing use and a maintenance plan.
Is a conservation plan legally binding?
A conservation plan is not legally binding in itself, but it is the basis for a protection decision under kulturminneloven. Once the protection decision has been made, it is that decision that is legally binding.
Who prepares conservation plans?
Conservation plans are prepared by the owner, the municipality or Riksantikvaren, typically in cooperation. Riksantikvaren is responsible for protection decisions, while the municipalities manage local cultural heritage.
What does a conservation plan mean for property developers?
A conservation plan can limit the scope for changing, demolishing or extending a protected property. All work on protected buildings requires permission from Riksantikvaren or the city antiquarian.
Where do I find conservation plans?
Conservation plans and protection records are available in Riksantikvaren's cultural heritage database and in Kulturminnesøk. Placepoint shows cultural heritage data directly in the map interface.