Fellheim fights against vacancies: the castle remains unused!

Fellheim fights against vacancies: the castle remains unused!

The situation of the vacancies in Fellheim is a topic that raises many worries. The mayor Reinhard Schapp emphasizes that there is a significant number of unused buildings and land in the community. According to a local vacancy survey, there are 80 buildings that are either not at all or only used minimally. The most prominent of these buildings is the Fellheimer Castle, which has remained unused after bankruptcy. However, information about potential nine use is still pending, such as the Allgäuer Zeitung reported.

The castle, once used as a senior citizens' facility, is an important building that is a major building. The mayor describes the negotiations on the bankruptcy estate as challenging, especially with a view to necessary energetic renovations. There are also different ideas among the owners when it comes to further use. This presents the community with great tasks, because there are not only 80 vacancies, but also 94 vacant lots that contribute to the relocation in Fellheim.

active developments and future -oriented plans

In order to counteract the vacancy, the municipality plans to establish a clear internal development concept in the next 15 years. Manuela Huber from the Office for Rural Development emphasizes the urgency of a development concept and the design of a plan sketch. A framework plan should serve as a guide for conversions and the removal of the vacancies. This could benefit not only the community, but also to the existing institutions such as schools and daycare centers, since the mayor wants to avoid overloading these offers.

The problem of vacancies is not just a local phenomenon. In East Germany there are 530,000 apartments empty, which corresponds to 7.6 percent of the total apartments. In West Germany it is an average of 4 percent. These figures were discussed by local politicians at a recent meeting, where, among other things, the common strategy against empty real estate was discussed. The federal action strategy aims to promote, for example, to promote the renovation of existing buildings or to convert empty commercial real estate into living space, it says in a Report by Kommunal .

an alliance for affordable living space

The Federal Ministry of Nutrition and Agriculture is also involved in this area and takes part in the "Alliance of affordable living space". This alliance has the task of developing a comprehensive strategy of action to activate building buildings. The project, which starts in April 2024, has a term of three years and aims to combine municipal experiences and scientific knowledge. The BMEL thus brings important impulses to combat the vacancies in rural regions more effectively.

Overall, it can be seen that the municipal managers in Fellheim are on a challenging but necessary path to remedy the vacancies and to improve the quality of life in town. It remains to be seen which progress can be made in the coming time.