Progress is clearly being made. The surface of the Bürgerplatz is almost complete. The joints still need to be sealed. Once this has been completed, the weekly market can move there and the renovation work can continue towards Marktstraße. The green forum has been filled with soil material. A layer of topsoil is still missing so that the lawn can be laid here soon. Slopes have been installed on two sides to provide barrier-free access to the green area, which will ultimately be used. The lawn care machines will also be able to access the area. Wooden seating will later be installed on the kerb. Work is currently underway on the future parking lot area. Some of the kerbs towards the parking lot have already been laid. Work has also already begun on the kerbstone that will mark out the green area around the trees. Time and again, the remains of foundations from earlier buildings are found that need to be uncovered and documented for posterity. Remains of this kind have been found right next to the town hall, probably from the former elementary school that once stood here. Foundations were also found at the intersection of Annastrasse and Busmannstrasse. Such finds, however interesting they may be, naturally always lead to delays in the planned construction process. An interim celebration is planned for the fall, when at least the Bürgerplatz and probably also the play areas are open. Invitations will then be issued via the press and social media.
Connection to the brine garden
On April 24, the preliminary plans for the redesign of Twistedener Straße to create an attractive connection to the Solegarten were presented at a public meeting. It became clear that at least the local residents would rather have more parking spaces than accept a reduction. The project requirements therefore developed into the proverbial jack-of-all-trades: more space for pedestrians, as much parking space as possible for cars, a significant improvement for cyclists and car traffic should not be restricted either. Due to the narrow width of Twistedener Straße, this is not feasible, so consideration was given to creating a one-way street for car traffic. However, an appropriate and compatible alternative for the opposite direction of travel would then have to be found.
The problem was initially discussed in the urban development committee on June 25 and postponed to the council meeting on July 4 for a resolution. There, the council then decided almost unanimously to have a traffic routing concept drawn up that considers the entire urban space before further planning for the connection to the Solegarten. Every change in traffic routing has an impact on other streets, which in turn have to react to the change. A large-scale concept for reorganizing traffic routing therefore makes perfect sense. However, this means that the plans for the Solegarten connection will have to be postponed for the time being. It will probably be several years before planning can be resumed.
Planting Kapellenplatz
In the last newsletter, I announced that the planting in the flower beds on Kapellenplatz would be renewed. This has now been done and looks much better.
Conclusion and farewell
No, the town center renewal measures are not yet complete. Peter-Plümpe-Platz still needs to be completed and the disposition fund and the façade program are still ongoing. However, the fact that the Solegarten connection has been postponed and is therefore no longer part of this funding period means that the urban development funding for the 2015 action plan is now fully financed. This is the term used when the last funding application has been submitted and no more new measures are applied for. This point has now been reached and the main tasks for the urban planning department from this overall measure have therefore also been completed.
This is also a good time for me personally to leave the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer. I have been involved in the renewal of the town center for 10 years now. In 2014, we began preparations for the development of the urban development action plan for Kevelaer's town center. At the time, I could not have foreseen the immense effort involved. But for anyone involved in urban planning and development, such a task is a treat and a highlight. I am therefore grateful that I was able to play a part in it and can now relax as I enter my semi-retirement phase from September 1.
This newsletter was a bit of a personal hobbyhorse of mine. With my departure, it will therefore be discontinued. If you would like to keep up to date with further developments, you can subscribe to the regular communications from the city administration instead. To do this, register on the city website at www.kevelaer.de/newsletter and choose whether you only want to receive news about what is happening in the city or also information about job advertisements and contract awards. You will then receive the latest news on city life, schools, urban planning, the environment, the town hall and politics as well as press releases from the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer once a week free of charge by e-mail.
Thank you for your interest in my information. I am sure I will continue to meet one or the other of you privately in our city from time to time. I wish you all the best!
Kind regards
On behalf of
Franz Heckens