Nordenham saves millions: rental solution for ailing town hall tower decided!

Nordenham saves millions: rental solution for ailing town hall tower decided!

There is currently a major upheaval in urban development in Nordenham: the council has unanimously decided not to build a new town hall or build an extension. Instead, a rental solution was decided for the dilapidated town hall tower. Mayor Nils Siemen presented a development concept for the brownfield site at Peterlee-Platz, which is intended to relieve the city's financial burden. Loud NWZonline This measure can save the city up to 15 million euros in investment loans.

The decision was made against the background of a planned financing gap of 8.2 million euros in 2026, which had already led to the Wesermarsch district rejecting approval of the 2025/2026 double budget. To support budget consolidation, Treasurer Sven Hinderks presented various proposals that were ultimately adopted by the Council. These include, among other things, the increase in the entertainment tax from 22 to 25 percent and the introduction of a property tax C on undeveloped land, which is due to take effect from 2027.

Current challenges and financial strategies

The city will have to make drastic savings in the coming years. In 2025, investments must be cut by 2.5 million euros, followed by a further cut for 2026. In order to overcome these financial hurdles, the city is also relying on income from the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) and the trade tax from wind power and solar systems, which are expected to bring in a total of 744,000 euros.

The renovation of the town hall tower, which was originally built in 1972 as a water tower with office space, was also classified as uneconomical. The city will therefore have to spend 130,000 euros on emergency maintenance of the tower this year, with 70,000 euros still planned for 2026. In the long term, the city administration hopes that the new building on Peterlee Square will create modern, barrier-free spaces, including a daycare center.

Public procurement and further developments

In order to advance the process, a public procurement process will be initiated, which will give other investors the opportunity to apply for the new building. Many city administration offices could move to the city center as early as 2028. This would be a big step towards a revitalized city center and fits into a larger context of urban development, such as that promoted by the federal government, which supports cities and communities in their development bmwsb.bund.de can be read.

National urban development projects are often aimed at comprehensive funding in order to support not only individual projects, but also the socio-cultural development of entire districts. This could also be important for Nordenham if new concepts are developed to create liveable urban structures.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the city of Nordenham is taking the path towards a more modern future with the agreed development concept and the associated financial measures, especially since the focus is on sustainability and barrier-free living space.