Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV

Daniëlle Roelands-Fransen

Spatial planning law and planning and environmental law call for a pragmatic approach. This is just the kind of working method that characterises Daniëlle, who has become our number one specialist when it comes to complex spatial planning issues. Daniëlle frequently advises and litigates in large-scale and complex spatial projects, such as the transformation of inner-city (industrial) sites into residential/work areas, the realisation of high-rise projects and the construction and expansion of infrastructure: projects that are often politically sensitive and where various disciplines – administrative, legal and technical – interact. In addition, Daniëlle is regularly asked to contribute ideas regarding the system and content of rules in zoning plans, provincial regulations and other local rules. Her clients include Dutch provinces, municipalities, autonomous administrative authorities, companies and project developers. She enjoys sharing her expertise with others by publishing and by lecturing or being a keynote speaker at conferences. Daniëlle heads Pels Rijcken’s Planning and Environmental law team. Daniëlle received her master’s degree in Dutch Law from Radboud University Nijmegen and obtained an additional master's degree in European Law at the University of Nottingham. In addition to her work, she completed the Grotius Specialist programme in Spatial Planning and Environmental Law. At INSEAD she completed a mini-MBA. Previously, Daniëlle practised law at the Province of Noord-Brabant and later at Stibbe. She was admitted to the Dutch Bar in 2002 and joined Pels Rijcken in 2010. Daniëlle is permanent annotator for StAB, a journal on planning and environmental law case law.

Roelof Reinders

Roelof Reinders has been with Pels Rijcken’s Planning and Environmental Law team since 2006. His specialist practice is focused on infrastructure (road projects and coastal and dyke reinforcement), area development and nature conservation law. Public authorities and developers entrust Roelof with complex and often administratively sensitive files. His strength lies not only in his legal expertise; Roelof also has the know-how and experience to discuss the content of a project with the technical experts involved. Regardless of whether traffic models, air quality and nitrogen deposition calculations, external safety or the operation of tunnel safety installations are under discussion, Roelof knows the content and technicalities involved inside out. This provides significant added value when defending a project in court, but also, and in particular, in the preparation of decision-making. Roelof knows better than anyone else what is needed to draw up planning products and ensure, together with the project team, that the decision-making will pass the test applied by the administrative court: "Council of State-proof" we like to call it. Roelof received his master’s degree in Dutch Constitutional and Administrative Law and European Law from Utrecht University. He is a member of the Dutch Environmental Lawyers Association and co-authored the manual Luchtkwaliteit en omgeving (Air quality and environment).