Bonn's economic structure is predominantly service-oriented. From a structural policy and employment-relevant perspective, the skilled trades and the manufacturing industry are nevertheless of great importance. The skilled trades sector is an important player on the way to achieving Bonn's climate target and also offers a wide range of jobs. In addition, many industrial and commercial enterprises in Bonn are leaders in national and international markets. It is therefore the aim of the Economic Development Agency to be able to continue to offer attractive commercial sites for the establishment, expansion and relocation of manufacturing companies and craft businesses, especially those that contribute to the city's climate transition. However, as space potential is scarce in the urban area, the need for commercial space often competes with the need for residential space as well as office and retail uses. In addition to the development of new commercial areas, particular attention is therefore being paid to the protection and qualification of existing commercial areas and the activation of underused land potential.
Commercial space available
The total size of all commercial areas in Bonn is around 445 ha. In addition, 28.7 ha of commercial space is available in the medium term for the establishment or relocation of companies in the production, trade and service sectors. Of this, 16.5 ha are owned by the city. However, these sites can only be marketed once the necessary planning law has been created. The municipal sites are the approximately 11.0 ha Pützchen office and business park, the approximately 2.5 ha expansion area on Hans-Herter-Straße and a potential site on Kölnstraße / Schlesienstraße with a size of around 3 ha, both in the Buschdorf business park.
In order to alleviate the current shortage of commercial space as quickly as possible and to be able to meet the demand for commercial space from companies again in the medium term, Bonn's economic development agency is pursuing the following points for commercial space development.
Development of new urban potential areas
One focus of economic development is on the development of new commercial areas in Bonn. In addition to the expansion of the Buschdorf business park, the development of the Pützchen office and business park is therefore being driven forward. A modern, sustainable business park without sector clustering and with a flexible usage structure could be created here. To this end, several workshops were held to develop criteria for urban development and use, sustainability features, climate adaptation and protection as well as traffic and mobility, which will be examined in the further planning process and taken into account where possible. In addition to building and planning regulations and sustainability aspects, better use of space through “stacked commercial” is also being sought as part of the development of planning law.
Previously formulated allocation criteria, which tended to take economic factors into account, have also been supplemented by sustainability criteria and a target group has been defined, which the administration believes should be given priority in the marketing of commercial properties. These are, for example, craft businesses and multipliers for sustainability aspects with regard to climate protection, climate adaptation or social aspects. Inner-city business relocations should also be given special consideration in the allocation process.
In this way, Bonn could create further attractive commercial space of its own - taking into account other uses.
Stock qualification
In addition, the qualification of existing industrial estates is also being pursued. With regard to the qualification of existing sites, the possibility of multiple internal development is still being examined for the Bad Godesberg Nord industrial estate. The aim here is to achieve structural densification while at the same time safeguarding and developing green spaces and implementing sustainable forms of mobility in line with the guiding principles of climate protection and climate adaptation.
The developments in Bonn's oldest and largest commercial area, Beuel-Ost, are also part of the qualification of existing buildings. The results of the pilot project “Climate-friendly industrial estate Beuel-Ost” are currently being transferred to the Bonn-West industrial estate. In the future, other industrial estates in Bonn should also benefit from the knowledge gained. The pilot project shows which possibilities can be used in an existing industrial estate to unseal and green areas and reduce emissions.
Inter-communal commercial space development
In the context of inter-municipal commercial area developments, there are no regional planning obligations for areas that have been secured through planning. Nevertheless, the municipality of Alfter is currently developing the approximately 29-hectare Alfter-Nord industrial estate together with Bonn and Bornheim as part of a cooperation model. The municipalities see inter-municipal cooperation in the development and marketing of land as the right approach to offering the increasingly scarce resource of commercial space on a regional basis. The aim is to retain existing companies in the region and attract new companies. Planning law is also currently being created for this commercial area.
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