Agreement on land exchange: Potsdam town hall campus on the verge of a breakthrough!

Agreement on land exchange: Potsdam town hall campus on the verge of a breakthrough!

Potsdam is facing a potential solution to its planning blockade around the town hall campus. As the MAZ reports, negotiations between the Brandenburg State Office for Real Estate and Building (BLB) and the city of Potsdam are in full swing. Ulrike Rehberg, spokeswoman for the BLB, makes it clear that discussions that have been going on for years are about to be concluded.

One of the main reasons for these negotiations is the state's planned expansion of the justice center on Jägerallee, while Potsdam is also eyeing a new building for the Dalton High School on Pappelallee. Although a draft contract has been on the table since mid-August, uncertainty about environmental and nature conservation law aspects remains a central issue. It remains to be seen whether the contract will be signed soon, as the time pressure is great.

Agreement for new school building

The city of Potsdam has now reached an agreement with the federal government to create a temporary container facility for the Dalton High School. These containers will be built on the property at Jägerallee 23A and will serve as a temporary solution until the new school building is completed. After the high school moves, the plan is to dismantle the containers and recultivate the area. During the negotiations, the city and the BUND decided on measures to reduce ecological interventions. Residents had initially expressed concerns, but councilor Torsten Wiegel was pleased with the positive outcome and the agreement with the BUND, which will be included in the renaturation plans.

The city is also committed to planting ten large trees to promote natural balance. Despite this positive news, Axel Kruschat, Managing Director at BUND Brandenburg, expresses critical opinions about the temporary sealing of ecologically sensitive areas. This issue has shaped the discussions between minorities and the city administration in order to avoid a legal dispute. The background for the new school building is the requirements of the Brandenburg School Act, which stipulates the construction of new schools.

Transparency and citizen interest

At a meeting of the Committee for Administrative Modernization on September 16, further information about the status of the negotiations and the draft contract was missing. Alderman Dieter Jetschmanegg criticized this as inadequate and called for more transparency in the decision-making process. There is consensus that a quick decision on the land exchange is necessary in order not to endanger important urban projects.

With a volume of up to 270 million euros, the renovation of the town hall campus is also on the agenda. However, there is currently a lack of financial resources, far from a viable financing concept for the new building of the Dalton High School in Pappelallee - the uncertainties remain high here.

So what will the next few weeks bring? It remains exciting to see whether the city of Potsdam and the state of Brandenburg will finally take a step forward and thus set the course for the future of the educational landscape and urban development.