Drama for playground sales in Lankow: Citizens defend themselves against demolition!

Drama for playground sales in Lankow: Citizens defend themselves against demolition!

On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, the main committee will advise on the planned sale and the demolition of the playground and district park on Kieler Strasse in Lankow. This is not a new topic; As early as the summer of 2024, the matter was discussed intensively in the constituent meeting of the city council, but the proposals of the SPD and CDU remained without majority. The situation is now heading after the sale originally planned for June had to be stopped based on complaints by city representatives, such as Schwerin.news reported.

In the new resolution of the city of Schwerin, a higher sales price and a changed buyer structure are presented. The planned sale of the approximately 5000 m² district park is intended to enable the investor to build a three- or four-story building and a parking space there. As a compensation, two to three smaller existing green areas are intended as replacement playgrounds. This solution is based on the agreement, which was approved by the majority in the building committee with a narrow majority, mainly by the voice of the AfD and CDU/FDP.

criticism of the project

But it is stimulating. The new draft resolution is sharply criticized by the SPD and the ASK. They complain that essential questions about environmental issues and the rights of children and adolescents have not been sufficiently checked, since no development plan has been presented. In addition, evasive locations for the playground, such as in Julius-Polentz-Straße, are no longer available because a school is planned here. The parents' initiative, which is strong for the preservation of the 4800 square meter playground and district parks, sees the planned solution only an inadequate answer to the needs of the community, such as nordkurier.de reported.

Many residents agree: a good playground is not just a place of free time, but a green oasis for the children in which they can develop. A dismantling would be a painful loss that goes beyond the mere field of vision. Critics of the project have the impression that pressure was exerted here by investors and their confidants.

democratic participation

The continued discussion shows how important citizen participation is in urban development projects. This topic was "beyond citizen participation: urban development as a shared task?" Themized. Here it is discussed how crucial the citizens' say for the design of their surroundings is, which also underlines the current debate in the Lankow district. Especially with such sensitive topics as the preservation of playgrounds, the voices of the residents should be heard loudly and clearly, as in the publication on network democracy-und-beiligung.de is presented.

The city council will again deal with the application for sales on July 14th and is expected to make a decision in the non -public part. Critics plan an action for July 11th to draw attention to the preservation of the playground and district park and to increase the pressure on the decision -makers.