According to Economics Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania needs more industrial space. In a debate about land consumption initiated by the Greens, Meyer said in the state parliament in Schwerin on Thursday evening that the state government stands by the federal government’s aim to reduce land consumption. Soil is a valuable protected asset – it’s about sustainability and climate protection.
But the country also needs added value and jobs. “For this we need industrial space,” said the minister. There is a lot of designated commercial space in the northeast, but too few designated industrial spaces.
Meyer advocated a differentiated view of the issue of land consumption. It has already been established that construction should primarily take place inside rather than outside settlements. However, no limits could be imposed on communities for their development. “That won’t happen with us,” emphasized the minister.
The Greens are sounding the alarm about the increasing development of vacant land in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. “With an average of four hectares per day, land consumption in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has been significantly above the national average in recent years,” said Green Party member of the state parliament Hannes Damm, citing figures from the Leibniz Institute for Ecological Spatial Development.
Despite only accounting for around 2 percent of the population and almost 6.5 percent of the total area of the Federal Republic of Germany, the northeast currently accounts for an average of almost 10 percent of the country’s land use. Every day around 55 hectares of land in Germany are used for settlement and transport purposes. The federal government’s goal is a maximum of 30 hectares.
