American settlement in Plittersdorf Former international kindergarten to be demolished in spring
PLITTERSDORF · Renewed discussion in the Bad Godesberg district council about the former kindergarten in the American settlement has not brought any change. The building will be demolished and a new facility built in its place. Vebowag assumes work will begin in spring.
The discussion about the future of the former international kindergarten in the American settlement seems unending. It’s been an agenda item at six different district council meetings, with a different aspect being addressed each time. Once again, residents and members of the citizen group Bürger Bund Bonn (BBB) tried to stop the demolition and subsequent plans for a new building. The background of the story is that the group does not trust the city real estate holding Vebowag with its promise that it will not overdevelop the neighborhood. As for Vebowag, it is waiting for the demolition and building permits from the city.
Rolf Fischer from the citizens' initiative "Save the American Settlement Plittersdorf" (RASP) once again pleaded for restoring and extending the old building. "We fear it will become overdeveloped here", he said. "The settlement is currently under ensemble protection. But that doesn't mean anything," said Marcel Schmitt. He could still remember that the cinema and indoor swimming pool, amongst other parts were torn down there. He said he was afraid that once again, the municipal housing authorities would come back in a few years with further building requests.
It has been a year since Vebowag presented its plans for a new day care facility because the old building could accommodate a maximum of only two groups. In the building application received by the city, the new day care at Kennedyallee 115 would accommodate four groups of 20 children each. Day care/kindergarten spaces are urgently needed not only in Plittersdorf, but in all of Bad Godesberg and Bonn.
Construction time from eight to ten months
For Schmitt, the demolition and new construction of a kindergarten, which is to resemble the old one, is "a poor compromise". Others involved take a completely different view: "There is now a successful compromise with many parties involved", the new CDU district leader Christoph Jansen summed up. New daycare places were created, the historical preservation of the entire settlement was not called into question, and the new building would have a strong connection to the existing building. "I don't want to put this compromise at risk," he said. Monika Heinzel (Grüne party) said that we now have to look to the future: "We need these kindergarten places now". The SPD also joined in. "The demolition is still a sad experience for me, but there are more interests (to take into consideration)," said Ralf Jochen Ehresmann (Linke party). City conservator Katrin Bisping was a little surprised that the topic was once again so heavily debated. "I think everything has been discussed exhaustively." The consideration of all interests, also at the level of the district government of Cologne, had not led to an easy decision.
Marc Dittmann, technical manager at Vebowag responded to an inquiry from GA on Thursday, explaining that he expected the demolition and building permit for the site to be issued at the beginning of the new year. "We want to start demolition by spring at the latest," said Dittmann. The construction of the one-story building would then take around eight to ten months.
Orig. text: Richard Bongartz
Translation: ck
