State of Brandenburg promotes development after successful application

The city of Frankfurt (Oder) has received a funding decision from the Investment Bank of the State of Brandenburg (ILB) for the expansion of the transport infrastructure and for the construction of media technology infrastructure in the industrial area on the A12 motorway. The approval was preceded by an intensive application process, which the city administration has contested together with the Investor Center Ostbrandenburg (ICOB) and the Frankfurter Wasser- und Abwassergesellschaft mbH (FWA).

Mayor René Wilke: "My sincere thanks to all those who have worked on this project over the past months. In addition to colleagues from various areas of our city administration, it was especially the support of the FWA and the ICOB, to whom a special thank you here. With this and the support of other partners, it has been possible to obtain a positive decision and to begin work in the current funding period. With these decisions, the state of Brandenburg and the ILB are rightly following the recommendations of state-wide analyses and strategic considerations for the future. And they are keeping their word in terms of economic policy support for our city. Thus an enormously important component for the further economic upswing and future settlements in our city develops."

Certainly, the approved budget is around 13 million euros from the GRW-I program - Gemeinschaftsaufgabe regionale Wirtschaft (Joint Task for Regional Economy) for the expansion of business-related municipal infrastructure.

Claus Junghanns, mayor and economic councillor of the city of Frankfurt (Oder): "Through the achieved funding commitment for the development of the industrial area on the A12, we as the city of Frankfurt (Oder) together with the state of Brandenburg send the clear signal that we are also in the future continue to be ready for new settlements of industrial and commercial enterprises. This development project will make our city an even more attractive location for the settlement of new companies and the expansion of existing ones. It allows us to work together to reduce the gap in the nationwide supply of land > 5 ha that has been created in recent years. Not only the city of Frankfurt (Oder), but also the entire Oderland Spree region will benefit from the decision and the implementation of the project."

 

Background: In recent years, regionally and nationally in the state of Brandenburg, the demand for industrial and commercial space has increased rapidly. Also in Frankfurt (Oder), this has led to a strong imbalance between supply and demand for industrially developed land with existing building rights from a size of about 3 ha upwards. Based on the economic data collected as part of the state-wide commercial and industrial land concept for the state of Brandenburg, which shows a shortage of larger industrial and commercial sites available at short notice, particularly in the vicinity of the TESLA Gigafactory, the Frankfurt (Oder) City Council had passed a resolution in June 2022 instructing the city administration to submit the GRW-I funding application for the development of the industrial area on the A12 to the Brandenburg Investment Bank.

The special feature of this funding commitment lies in the amount of funds granted. The city of Frankfurt (Oder) receives the maximum funding of 80 percent with the grant decision. "We are particularly pleased that, in addition to the basic funding of 60 percent of the eligible costs, we will also receive the maximum potential funding of a further 20 percent of the eligible costs from the state, which is possible according to the guideline," says Christopher Nüßlein, managing director of the ICOB. "This is the only way that we as a city are in a position to be able to make this investment, which is relevant for the entire state of Brandenburg, in the expansion of commercial infrastructure to promote the economy."

With the funds now approved, an important course can be set in the coming years by developing the industrial area on the A12. The area is located south of the federal freeway 12, directly at the freeway exit Frankfurt (Oder)-West, in the neighborhood of the Log Plaza Frankfurt (Oder) and includes a total net settlement area of about 46 hectares, which is to be developed for settlements, especially in the manufacturing industry.


The project is divided into three main elements:

  • The wastewater disposal, that is, the construction of a wastewater pressure pipeline, the so-called second media ring is the most complex part of the measures, On a stretch of about 12.6 km, this must be built from the sewage treatment plant in the north of the city to the industrial area on the A 12 in parallel construction sections.
  • Analogous to this, the drinking water supply of the area is to be realized. This involves an expansion of the booster station in Pagram and the laying of a drinking water ring main and a parallel running cable protection pipe in already existing route corridors.
  • The traffic development element includes the construction of a second lane along the current single-lane bypass to exit onto the B112N or A12.