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BUND warns: New regional plan endangers our environment in the long term!
The BUND criticizes the new regional plan for the Rhein-Sieg district because of legal deficiencies. Read more about the background and goals of the plan.
BUND warns: New regional plan endangers our environment in the long term!
The planning landscape in Cologne has taken a significant turn. The new regional plan, the development of which lay in the drawers of the Cologne district government for years, has now been officially adopted. The regional council of the Cologne administrative district had already decided two weeks before Christmas 2021 to launch a new plan to steer the spatial growth and development of the region in a controlled manner. The idea behind this project is to create clear framework conditions for the future use of areas in order to meet the needs of the communities and at the same time take ecological requirements into account. The district government writes this on its website bezirksregierung-koeln.nrw.de.
But not everyone agrees with the new plan. The Rhein-Sieg district group of the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) has sharply criticized the draft plan and pointed out extensive, profound factual and legal deficiencies. The BUND strongly recommends against adopting the draft plan. These concerns make it clear that the implementation of the plan depends not only on the political decision, but also on the acceptance among the population and the relevant organizations. ga.de reports that the affected municipalities and districts have to deal intensively with the legislative framework in order to find suitable solutions.
The challenges of regional planning
The regulations in the new regional plan are clear: a clear distinction is made between the objectives and principles of spatial planning. Cities, municipalities and specialist planning bodies must strictly adhere to the set goals, while the principles must be taken into account in the balancing process. Such requirements are necessary to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach that combines the interests of environmental and nature conservation, agriculture and urban development. The district government is responsible not only for developing the planning, but also for conducting the participation process with various interest groups in order to anchor acceptance as broadly as possible.
Regional planning has a long history in North Rhine-Westphalia, dating back to 1912, when the first ideas about developing regional plans arose. In the decades since, the process has changed and developed significantly. Since the State Planning Act of 1975, district governments have been responsible for drawing up regional plans. This development highlights the growing importance of strong, transparent and inclusive planning that can meet the needs of the population. Information on the development of regional planning is also available on the website rvr.ruhr.
A plan with a future?
The new regional plan must now prove itself and withstand the challenges of the present and future. In an increasingly dynamic social and ecological context, it is important that general planning requirements are also adapted to current circumstances. Challenges such as urbanization, climate change and the preservation of natural areas require innovative and adaptive planning concepts. The Cologne Regional Council has set itself the goal of responding appropriately to these developments and further developing the plan accordingly. This is not just a question of planning, but also a sign of future cross-generational responsibility.