Fear of costs after canal construction: Citizens in Neunkirchen-Seelscheid worried!

Fear of costs after canal construction: Citizens in Neunkirchen-Seelscheid worried!

At a tense meeting of the Committee for Planning, Building and Living in Wolperath, the topic of costs for the expansion of Mittelstrasse and Mühlenweg hovered over the heads of those present. The event was so well attended that many citizens had to stand or wait in front of the hall. The reason for residents' concerns are the planned measures to improve the infrastructure, which, according to the municipality, could entail high costs for residents. The Cologne Higher Regional Court has put the administration under pressure to act because surface water is currently flowing onto properties and a claim was handled by the municipality's insurance company (GVV). However, they sued and lost the case, with the damage amounting to around 13,400 euros. An appeal was not permitted, which further aggravated the situation for residents.

The municipality plans to tear up the temporarily expanded roadways in order to lay a new stormwater drain. After the canal has been built, the roads must be restored, with residents having to bear the majority of the costs in accordance with the building code. While a resident of Mühlenweg estimates that 90% of rainwater disposal is regulated, the administration sees the problem differently and reports that shallow mayor sewers cannot effectively drain the amount of rain. Additional measures such as gullies and gutters have not yet had the desired effect.

Costs and concerns

A key concern of the residents is the financing of the project. According to the building code, the residents are responsible for 90% and the municipality for 10% of the costs. However, the exact amount of the residents' contributions remains unclear and depends on the standard of the final construction. Citizens can voice their questions and concerns during a citizen information session where designs and expected costs will be presented. Citizens' suggestions on the details of the expansion, including sidewalks and lighting, will be incorporated into the plans.

In addition to the development contributions to cover the costs of the development systems, it should be noted that house connection costs are not part of the residents' contributions. These relate to the connection of a property to wastewater and supply networks. Property owners can be burdened with additional costs for secondary development measures even years after development. These contributions are collected in accordance with the provisions of the Building Code, whereby the development of land is generally the responsibility of the cities and municipalities.

In the current situation, it remains to be seen how the municipality will deal with residents' concerns and what measures can ultimately help solve the problems. Transparency in the distribution of costs could be crucial here.

For more detailed information on the distribution of costs and the legal basis, interested citizens can read the articles from Cologne City Gazette and Haufe visit.