General development plan

Development plans are the result of development plan procedures. The basis is the building code. According to this, development planning is a compulsory task for the municipalities. Zoning plans are to be drawn up as soon as they are necessary for the urban development and order of the community. The public, those responsible for public affairs and the political bodies are involved in this process. Development plans are determined by the district administration or the Senate.
Zoning plans are legal norms, in Hamburg usually ordinances, possibly laws.
On the one hand, they determine the type of use of the property. They regulate whether an area is to be developed as a residential area, village area or commercial area, for example, where traffic areas, agricultural areas, green areas and natural areas are to be created or maintained. Development plans also determine whether areas can be built on and, if so, to what extent (e.g. building density, number of floors). In addition, a large number of other regulations are conceivable, above all the arrangement of the buildings, the number of residential units, the design of the buildings, plantings and the use of open spaces, etc.
Development plans form the basis for building projects and other measures (e.g. land regulation and development). They say nothing about the timing of a construction project. If the development is secured, it is up to the landowner to decide whether and when to make use of the right given by the development plan. A development plan therefore says how the land may be used if a landowner intends to implement a building project or to change its use.
Development plans apply to both projects that require authorization and projects that do not require authorization.