Several important players are involved in the planning approval procedure:

1. Project sponsor: The company or organization planning the construction project, e.g. an energy grid operator.
2. Consultation authority: This authority organizes public participation, collects comments and reviews them.
3. Planning approval authority: It manages the procedure and decides on the approval of the project based on the comments.

Which authority is responsible for the hearing and/or plan approval depends on the project in question and the applicable specialist legislation. For example, the Federal Network Agency is responsible for consultation and planning approval for the expansion of an electricity line. In the case of the expansion of a federal railroad line, these tasks are carried out by the Federal Railway Authority.

A planning approval procedure has two main phases: the consultation procedure and the adoption of the plan.

In the consultation procedure, the planned project is made public. As a rule, citizens can inspect the relevant plans in the municipalities concerned for one month. During this time, they have the opportunity to find out about the project and check whether their rights are affected by the project. If there are any concerns or objections, these can be submitted to the relevant consultation authority by the end of the period.

In addition, various public bodies, such as affected municipalities, specialist authorities or environmental associations, are also given access to the plans and have the opportunity to comment. The objections received are collected and forwarded to the project developer for review and comment. A hearing is then held at which the various concerns and issues are discussed. The consultation procedure ends at the end of this meeting.

In the next step, the hearing authority issues a statement which is forwarded to the planning approval authority. This authority then decides whether the project is approved, approved subject to conditions or rejected.

Once the decision has been made, the planning approval decision is made public, usually via the planning approval authority's website, so that all citizens are informed of the outcome.

Citizens who are affected by a planned project can participate in the consultation process of the planning approval procedure. They have the opportunity to raise objections to the planning documents. Those affected are persons whose lives or property are directly or indirectly affected.

The planning documents are generally available for inspection for one month, both digitally and in paper form at the responsible hearing authority or in the municipalities concerned. During this period, citizens can check whether their rights are affected by the project. The public display is published in the official gazette, in newspapers or online. Objections must be submitted to the hearing authority in writing or for recording and are no longer possible after the deadline.

The state capital of Wiesbaden provides regular information about ongoing planning approval procedures on its website.

The responsibility depends on the type of procedure:

Town planning office - planning approval procedures for regional and supra-regional routes for high-voltage and extra-high voltage lines

Civil Engineering and Surveying Office - all other planning approval procedures, e.g. planning approval procedures for federal roads and federal highways in accordance with the Federal Trunk Roads Act (FStrG), state and district roads in accordance with the Hessian Roads Act (HStrG). Railroad traffic facilities in accordance with the General Railway Act (AEG) and the Hessian Railway Act (HEisenbG) with the Railway Construction and Operating Regulations (EBO), operating facilities for streetcars in accordance with the Passenger Transportation Act (PBefG) with the Tram Construction and Operating Regulations (BOStrab)