Contrary to the original plan, this is not to be funded via the structural aid program, but now with funds from the integration fund. In May and June, in addition to the public, the North-East Local Council, the specialist committees and the City Council will be informed in detail about the completion of the preliminary planning.

Klingebiel: "In recent months, the preliminary planning for the construction of the new four-group daycare center was carried out and completed by an architectural firm from Halberstadt following a Europe-wide tender. The fact that the city of Salzgitter was unable to put the planning and implementation services out to tender jointly to a total contractor - as originally agreed with the approval authority of the state of Lower Saxony - had a delaying effect; instead, the planning services and implementation services had to be put out to tender individually across Europe due to existing state regulations. This time delay, which also affects the construction projects in Salzgitter-Bad and Salzgitter-Lichtenberg, annoys me so much that I have urgently asked the Lower Saxony state government, as President of the Lower Saxony Association of Cities and Towns, to adjust the unacceptable bureaucratic obstacles. If the state government and state parliament do not take swift countermeasures here, Lower Saxony will soon be "left behind" in international competition. I will not let up in calling for political simplification of the law here."

The planned daycare building "Am Brotweg" (approx. 40 meters x 18 meters) is planned as a single-storey, compact and barrier-free building and offers space for 30 crèche children and 50 kindergarten children.

The modern, slightly staggered, two-winged building is deliberately positioned along the rear, northern boundary of the plot. This opens the building up to the sun and light. Another advantage is that the majority of the existing trees can be retained.

The entrance area is adjoined by the dining room, kitchen and exercise room. It is planned that the foyer and dining room can also be used together as an event room thanks to a mobile partition wall. The building is divided into the crèche and kindergarten wings.

The flat roof is covered with gravel or greenery and fitted with a photovoltaic system that generates electricity for the building's own use. Heat supply is planned via an air/water heat pump. The heat pump is to be used in conjunction with underfloor heating. In the summer months, the rooms can be heated very easily.

According to current planning, the total costs amount to around 4.73 million euros. An application for funding of 3.1 million euros has been submitted to the Integration Fund.

Klingebiel emphasizes the importance of this special funding pot: "Integration is an ongoing task. Also and especially in Salzgitter. Thanks to the continuation of the integration fund made available for the first time in 2017 by the state of Lower Saxony, for which the municipal umbrella organizations as well as my colleagues and I have campaigned, we can now also implement this important investment measure. With the construction of the new daycare center, we can meet the need for childcare in Thiede." The remaining amount of around 1.63 million euros is to be financed from own funds.

The grant funds now available from the structural fund will be used for the construction projects (one daycare centre and one school) in Salzgitter-Bad and Salzgitter Lichtenberg. "Now we need to quickly concretize and implement the cornerstones of the construction plans. I will present the project proposal for the implementation of the new construction measures to the Salzgitter City Council for a decision in June 2022. The plans to date envisage the start of construction in spring 2023 following a Europe-wide tender and the opening of the daycare center two years later.

As things stand today, this schedule is realistic, but - and this is part of honesty - cannot be guaranteed one hundred percent in view of the current political and economic situation," says Klingebiel.