The regional plan is an important instrument in spatial planning. It stands between the State Development Plan (LEP) and the municipal land-use plans of the cities and municipalities. It defines objectives and principles for spatial planning and implements the requirements of the LEP in the region. The regional plan looks at the developments that are expected over the next ten years and helps to resolve conflicts between competing land uses. It shows where in the region certain uses have priority and where others are excluded. However, the regional plan does not go into detail and does not specify what happens on each individual plot of land.

The South Hesse Regional Plan makes decisions on land use for the state capital of Wiesbaden. It contains representations in the areas of settlement, open space and infrastructure and provides the city with specifications that must be taken into account when drawing up the land use plan and development plans. The statements in the regional plan have different binding effects: The objectives of regional planning are binding requirements that must be observed in all spatially relevant decisions. They may not be weighed up again at the level of municipal urban land-use planning. The principles of spatial planning must also be observed, but can also be overridden in subsequent decisions if other interests are given greater weight.

The regional plan is generally an interdisciplinary document that covers the entire planning region and links various sectoral plans. However, spatial and sectoral sub-plans can also be drawn up for specific topics. For the South Hesse planning region, the 2019 sectoral sub-plan for renewable energies (TPEE) and its 1st amendment have been legally effective since March 2020 and February 2022 respectively. The sectoral sub-plan for renewable energies defines priority areas for the use of wind energy and also makes further specifications for other renewable energies such as solar energy, bioenergy, geothermal energy and hydropower.

The Darmstadt Regional Council, the highest planning authority, is responsible for drawing up the South Hesse Regional Plan. The South Hesse Regional Plan is currently in the process of being revised. The first consultations of the South Hesse Regional Assembly on the draft/preliminary draft 2024 took place in February and March 2024. Current information on the preparation process can be found on the website of the Darmstadt Regional Council (opens in a new tab). Until the new regional plan comes into force, the current South Hesse Regional Plan 2010 remains valid.