Audit Committees in Provincial Administrative Law and their Role for Delft
In the province of South Holland, where Delft is located, provincial audit committees handle objections against decisions of the Executive Council of the Province (Gedeputeerde Staten). These committees are analogous to objections committees, but specifically tailored to provincial tasks, as regulated in the Provincial Act (Provinciewet) and the General Administrative Law Act (Awb). For residents of Delft, they are crucial in disputes over provincial interventions that affect the city, such as the expansion of the National Museum of Delft or adjacent nature areas.
Specific Powers with Delft Context
- Extensive investigation: Field inventories around Delft's borders, for example in spatial planning for the A13 corridor or green buffer zones near the municipality.
- Involvement of experts: Deployment of environmental experts and planners for matters such as air quality around TU Delft or water management in the Delft polders.
- Advice to the Executive Council: Binding advice in provincial regulations, influential for local projects such as the HSL connection to Delft.
Differences with Municipal Committees in Delft
Provincial committees in South Holland operate on a larger scale than the Delft objections committee, with a focus on provincial themes such as nature management in the Duinen van Velsen or regional infrastructure affecting Delft. They report annually to the Provincial States, with higher efficiency due to specialized members from the Rotterdam-Delft region. This system decentralizes adjudication and strengthens the autonomy of South Holland, directly noticeable in Delft's spatial developments.
For residents and businesses in Delft, this provides a low-threshold way to challenge provincial decisions, while preserving local interests.