Linked mining and land use policy (Sweden)

Challenge the practice is addressing: The case is about a small-scale future underground mining operation that has successfully achieved a concession and is in the final application phase for an environmental permit.

Concrete practice to achieve the expected goal: Element 1: Linking of mining and land use: All components in the permitting and land use process are made for purpose and are connected. Element 2: Areas of National Interest: The tool areas of national interest which includes all types of mineral resources is one of the corner stones in the overall land use process. It forms the government’s tool to affect the land use planning and contains eleven different categories of strategic land use aspects. Element 3: Mining Concession: After exploration permit, which is handled by the mining inspectorate, a mining concession gives the company exclusive right to extraction and secures land for the deposit and a safeguarding for the deposit. Element 4: Environmental permit: This is always treated on a regional level except in cases of appeals.

Expected impact/goal of the practice: Achieved application for final mining permit – the application for environmental permit has been filed. This shows how the case illustrates how an integrated mining policy functions with a step-wise decision in land-use coupled to permitting can lead to a mining permit and project. The permitting is coupled to the land use process further in such a way that the second step is the so-called mining concession, at that stage the concession will ”protect” the deposit and become an official land-use. The final stage in the land-use process is when the environmental permit has been filed and approved. At that stage the full land use including space for industrial facilities are endorsed and all land-use aspects are treated and will be approved including.

Who is the target user group of the practice/intervention or implementing the practice/intervention? This practice is for policymakers on public level.