Minister for Urban and Rural Areas and Minister for Churches Morten Dahlin (V) will drop part of a bill that would remove the Danish Church's right to object when, for example, wind turbines and solar parks are erected.
This is reported by Kristeligt Dagblad.
Today, the Danish Church can, through the diocesan authorities, object to a local plan proposal that would erect wind turbines or solar cells within 1,000 meters of a church, as well as wind turbines within 2,000 meters if the wind turbines are at least 250 meters high.
The right, which has also been referred to as a right of veto, was to be removed completely. This is apparent from a draft amendment to the Planning Act, which was sent for consultation in October. But that part of the bill is now expected to be removed.
- We have listened to the consultation responses and to the parties' wishes as well. Therefore, we expect to change the part of the bill that deals with the diocesan authorities' right to object to the municipalities' local plan proposals, so that the right to object is not impaired compared to today, says Morten Dahlin to Kristeligt Dagblad.
The churches' right to object was last changed on January 1, when the distance restrictions were added to the Planning Act. This was the work of the then Minister of Churches Louise Schack Elholm (V)
However, this has not been enough for, for example, the National Association of Municipalities (KL), which advocates abolishing the right to object altogether. It delays the green transition, it says.
- We have been discussing for years how to do away with this very special and undemocratic right that has been given to the individual bishops - and now they have finally taken action and done something to pave the way for the green transition and reduce bureaucracy, says Johan Brødsgaard (R), chairman of the KL's climate, business and planning committee in a written comment.
- It is a huge challenge that the bishops' veto right creates uncertainty and can prolong the processing of cases. The government says it wants to debureaucratize and simplify - but then you have to do something about it if the bureaucracy is not to continue, he continues.
On the contrary, the Danish People's Party has been on the side of the right of objection over the years and has been so this time too.
Chairman Morten Messerschmidt believes that it is important that churches "can speak out" if a city council wants to "spoil the landscape around some of our beautiful village churches".
- The churches have an extremely important cultural and historical significance and are often located in very beautiful places in the Danish landscape, he tells Kristeligt Dagblad.
According to the newspaper, it is far from the first time that a government had plans to remove the right of objection completely. The same was desired in both 2016 and 2022, but it was also unsuccessful.
Information wrote in 2022 that dioceses had used the right of objection at least ten times since 2017. In some of the cases, the projects were cancelled, while in others the number of wind turbines was negotiated down, after which the objections were withdrawn.
It is through the diocesan authorities that churches can use their right of objection. The diocesan authorities are the highest authority in a diocese and consist of the bishop and the state representative.
/ritzau/
Updated at 1:30 p.m. with comment from Johan Brødsgaard.
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