76 property owners - almost all of them - then put their names on a list to have the value of their land and properties assessed in further talks with the city administration. On the basis of these results, funds from the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the private sector are to be acquired for relocation.
The information event originally planned in the fire station in Watenstedt had to be moved to the neighboring church due to the great interest shown by around 250 residents. The presence of prominent political figures from the federal, state and local councils also underlined the importance of this topic for the future of Watenstedt. Guests on the podium were Federal Environment Minister and SPD Member of Parliament Sigmar Gabriel and his CDU colleague Jochen Konrad Fromme.
In his welcoming address, Klingebiel once again reminded the audience that the district had been overplanned for more than ten years due to a legally effective development plan. The immediate proximity to industry had repeatedly led to problems and tensions among residents in the past. A solution must now be sought together. The aim of the initial contact should be to gain an overview of the nature and extent of the problems and to ask the residents for their opinion on a possible voluntary relocation - a position for which he found the support of Gabriel and Fromme.
The course of the event made it clear that many Watenstedt residents feel at home in their district, even though they suffer from the environmental conditions caused by industry and commerce. On the other hand, they recognize that there is no objective future for Watenstedt as a residential area and that their properties are losing value. Local mayor Karl-Heinz Schünemann therefore also spoke out in favor of a clear statement from the population. Now it depends on which concrete resettlement offers can be presented.
Günter Klatt, Head of the Urban Redevelopment and Socially Integrative City Department, emphasized that intensive discussions would be held with those willing to relocate in the coming months and that a property valuation would be carried out. The response has been great. Even residents who were unable to attend the information event had contacted his department in the meantime. Günter Klatt can be contacted on 05341 / 839-3323.
