Westhagen redevelopment area
The redevelopment process in Westhagen is over
Compensation amounts are levied
After 23 years of participation in the federal and state "Socially Integrative City" program, the urban renewal process in Westhagen has come to an end. As the last individual measure, the development plan for the redesign of the shopping center and the adjacent open spaces was approved by Wolfsburg City Council in December 2022.
On 17.05.2023, the Wolfsburg City Council adopted the statutes to repeal the statutes on the formal definition of the "Wolfsburg-Westhagen" redevelopment area (redevelopment repeal statutes). It came into force on June 9, 2023 by publication in the official gazette for the city of Wolfsburg.
With the repeal of the redevelopment statutes, the approval requirements under Sections 144 and 145 of the German Building Code (BauGB) no longer apply, as do the tax depreciation options in the formally designated redevelopment area. The redevelopment notices are currently being deleted from the land registers and owners in the former redevelopment area are being charged compensation amounts by notice, unless these have already been redeemed.
You can find further information on the compensation amounts under redevelopment law and their collection in the corresponding tab at the bottom of this page.
In total, funding from the federal government, the state of Lower Saxony and the city of Wolfsburg amounting to more than EUR 14.7 million as well as around EUR 1.2 million in redevelopment-related income has been invested in the renewal process. In addition, a multiple of the sum has been invested by the private sector.
In addition to various competitions, planning concepts and smaller measures, 13 construction projects have been implemented as part of the regeneration process, including the citizens' hall in the leisure and education center (2009), the "Gardens of Nations" with a total of four construction phases, the city axis (2005 to 2011), which has become an integral part of Westhagen, and the new Halberstädter Straße Nord (2016).
In addition, numerous socially integrative projects have been implemented, mainly with EU funding, and facilities such as the neighborhood management have been consolidated beyond the "Socially Integrative City" period.
Finally, two important transport projects have been realized, namely
- the renovation of the pedestrian tunnel at the small shopping center (2021) with a new crossing, significantly enlarged sidewalks and high-quality open spaces on Dresdener Ring and
- the neighboring traffic circle at the intersection of Dresdener Ring with Halberstädter Straße and Stralsunder Ring (2022).
Both measures have significantly improved the permeability of the ring road for pedestrians in a north-south direction.
The largest single measure in the Westhagen redevelopment area in financial terms was the demolition of the residential complex at Dessauer Strasse 14-34 between 2018 and 2020. Here, the owner's total costs of more than ten million euros were subsidized with a total of 5.2 million euros. The demolition has opened the door for the planning of a new shopping center and, associated with this, the fundamental renewal of the southern Dessauer Straße in the coming years.
Westhagen has benefited enormously from its participation in the "Socially Integrative City" program. The district has become much more attractive; after 23 years of "Socially Integrative City", it has become livelier, greener and more liveable. In addition, the structural changes and the many socially integrative projects have initiated a positive image change among the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.
The final documentation for Westhagen's participation in the "Socially Integrative City" program is available below this text. The documentation is part of the documents for the final settlement of the overall measure, which has been submitted to the state of Lower Saxony for review. In addition, the brochure is intended to provide all interested citizens with an insight into the extensive activities during the 23 years of urban renewal in and for Westhagen.
With the decision of the Wolfsburg City Council on December 6, 2000 and its announcement on February 15, 2001, large parts of the Westhagen district were formally designated as a redevelopment area (see § 142 BauGB). This was preceded by
- a comparative study of the need for renewal in the districts of Detmerode, Westhagen and Nordstadt (1998) and
- so-called "preparatory studies" for Westhagen in accordance with § 141 BauGB (1999).
On 14.06.2006, the city council amended the spatial scope of the redevelopment statutes with the aim of "streamlining" the regeneration area in Westhagen (announcement of the 1st amendment to the redevelopment statutes on 28.07.2006). To this end, some areas were removed from the redevelopment area, the upgrading of which had proved to be unrealistic in the meantime. Other areas were included in the redevelopment area after it became apparent that these areas had to be included in the redevelopment context: this primarily concerned residential areas on Dresdener Ring, Halberstädter Strasse and Dessauer Strasse.
- Formal designation of the "Westhagen" redevelopment area
- 1st amendment to the redevelopment statutes
After completion of the construction measures, the city council decided on 17.05.2023 to terminate the redevelopment in Westhagen by way of a termination statute (see Section 162 BauGB). This came into force on 09.06.2023, bringing the formal redevelopment process to an end. In addition to the deletion of the land register entries, the collection of the compensation amounts is now pending, insofar as these have not been redeemed in the past (Sections 154 et seq. BauGB; see next tab).
As a result of the investments made, the properties located in the redevelopment area have increased in value. For this increase in value - and only for the redevelopment-related increases in land value (see below) - the city is legally obliged on the basis of the provisions of the Building Code to levy a contribution from the property owners in the form of a so-called "equalization amount".
Changes in land values due to the economic situation are not taken into account when calculating the equalization amount, nor are the respective owners' own expenses. In particular, the building values and thus the investments made by the owners in and on the buildings are also not taken into account!
The following diagram illustrates the connection.
In accordance with Section 154 (1) BauGB, the compensation amount is payable by the owners, but not by those entitled to leasehold or residential development rights, nor by tenants. In the case of leasehold properties, the leasehold owners pay the compensation amount. As the landowner, the city does not pay compensation for schools, roads and green spaces. The compensation amount must be paid after completion of the redevelopment if it has not previously been redeemed (Section 154 (3) BauGB).
The person liable to pay the compensation amount is the owner who owns the property at the time the redevelopment is completed, i.e. on 09.06.2023.
The compensation amount is not apportionable costs under current tenancy law.
The equalization amounts were not determined by the city, but by the Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Land Valuation Committee at the Lower Saxony State Office for Geoinformation and Land Surveying (LGLN), which is responsible for Westhagen and other areas. The expert committee determined the "special standard land values" for Westhagen in spring 2024 and set them out in a special standard land value map: On the one hand, it shows the land value that the properties have on the basis of the measures carried out to complete the redevelopment. Secondly, it shows the land value that the properties would have had if no remediation had been carried out (initial value). In order to exclude the possibility of cyclical influences being included in this calculation due to the long period during which the refurbishment was carried out, the land value was determined in each case in relation to the same reporting date.
Ms. Berdien (05361 - 28 2118, sarah.berdien@stadt.wolfsburg.de) will be happy to provide you with telephone information on the collection of compensation in the Westhagen redevelopment area in the "Urban Planning and Building Consultancy" division.
City of Wolfsburg
Urban Planning
Porschestrasse 49
38440 Wolfsburg
Telephone: 05361 28-2118
sekretariat.06@stadt.wolfsburg.de