2023-10-13 12:00 CET, Germany | Press release
Seestadt is providing positive impulses, also for the city centre. Instead of vacancy depression, a look ahead to the "new" Mönchengladbach. In Hindenburgstraße, an information point will provide information about the new neighbourhood and the largest climate protection settlement in the country, where vacancies have been a real eye-catcher up to now. Catella is asking other companies to follow its example and use other vacancies in Hindenburgstraße in a similar way, so that the strength and attractiveness of the city can be experienced when strolling through the city centre.
Catella has rented the vacant shop at Hindenburgstraße 37, located between MINTO and the old town. The opening will take place on Saturday, 21 October 2023 from 12.00 noon and will be personally attended by the Lord Mayor. The event is open to the public and the invitation is extended to the citizens and business community of Mönchengladbach.
Lord Mayor Felix Heinrichs is pleased about this initiative from the private sector: "Seestadt is one of Mönchengladbach's biggest flagships in terms of housing policy. We expect a significant revitalisation of the neighbourhoods around Mönchengladbach's city centre and the main railway station. I am therefore very pleased that Catella is now directly present in the centre of Mönchengladbach and is promoting Seestadt there. This way, many people who visit the city centre will learn about this great example of the many positive developments in our city. In Mönchengladbach, we are tackling things together to shape a good future."
Klaus Franken, Managing Partner of Catella Project Management and investor of Seestadt, emphasises: "The slogan "Seestadt - sustainably happy" is thus carried into the heart of the city. It is only a few minutes' walk from Seestadt to the Infopoint near MINTO. Now that the first 248 flats have been completed, we want to give an impulse that Seestadt and Mönchengladbach belong together and that the city is going uphill - despite all the prophecies of doom! Let's make Hindenburgstraße a place where ideas are born, discussions are held and dreams are nurtured."
Jürgen Steinmetz, Managing Director of the Mittlerer Niederrhein Chamber of Commerce and Industry, adds: "The further development of city centres into multifunctional, resilient centres can only be understood as a joint task. Retailers, restaurants, hotels, service providers, municipalities, creative industries, craftsmen and project developers can and must contribute to this. Only if they create a variety of interesting offers will citizens be enthusiastic about their city centre. It is therefore all the more gratifying that Catella is contributing to this with the Infopoint. The fact that a vacancy is being used temporarily is good news for Hindenburgstraße."
Janina Cho, Centre Manager of MINTO, is pleased about the growth in the neighbourhood: "Seestadt is a great example of modern sustainability and an attractive transformation of our city. The opening of an Infopoint on Hindenburgstraße gives a great impulse to connect Seestadt even more closely with the city centre and to attract even more people to the city. It is important to keep up with the times and present exciting projects to visitors. In the end, we all benefit from this. A revitalised city centre means more people, more customers, more traders, more quality of life."
The Infopoint not only serves as a central contact point for information about the largest, certified climate protection project Seestadt. The choice of location for the Infopoint was made deliberately to show that things are moving forward in Mönchengladbach in terms of sustainable urban development. "City is more than just retail space, it's about events, actions, attractiveness. People go there because there is always something exciting happening," Klaus Franken is convinced.
In the coming months, the Infopoint will regularly host lectures and discussions. "The situation is better than the mood, so we have to talk about it and turn facts into positive emotions," says Klaus Franken with motivation.
The original idea of bringing new purchasing power into the city with Seestadt has worked out; about half of the tenants come from outside. At the same time, almost half fall into the income classes that are specifically to be preferred, the classic middle class. "People have arrived in Seestadt and are bringing purchasing power into the city - both benefit from each other," Klaus Franken is convinced.
In addition to a project exhibition, interested parties can obtain detailed information about the current and future housing on offer in Seestadt. The barrier-free flat mix is diverse and versatile to fulfil the personal living dreams of young and old, singles, couples, families and flat-sharing communities. Furthermore, Seestadt, located directly at the main railway station, offers plenty of space for modern workplaces and commercial uses. At Catella, the focus is on people and an attractive lifestyle, be it living, working, leisure, culture, sports, shopping.
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About Seestadt
With Seestadt, Catella is building a so-called "10-minute city" on an area of over 14 hectares, where all areas of life - living, working, leisure, sport, shopping, culture, etc. - will be interwoven within walking distance. The location directly next to the main railway station and the city centre favours the new, attractive and urban city quarter for young and old, for larger and smaller budgets as well as for an incomparable attitude to life. In addition to approximately 2,000 new flats for all age and income groups, modern office space, catering and service facilities will be created, providing space for a total of approximately 2,000 new jobs.
The centrepiece of the project is a newly created lake of approx. 20,000 m², which will contribute to improving the microclimate, serve as a retention basin, contribute to the protection of species and, with its near-natural shore zones and promenades, offer citizens an attraction with a unique quality of stay close to the city centre.
Seestadt is part of the "Reallabor der Energiewende" of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and was certified by the Ministry of Economics of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the EnergyAgency.NRW as the largest climate protection settlement in the state. The award was given for the holistically convincing energy concept, based on the triad of energy generation, supply and consumption and the attractive urban design. The use of renewable energy sources, heating networks with lower flow temperatures and, of course, modern building concepts lead together to a neighbourhood development oriented towards optimised climate protection. The use of innovative technologies not only offers advantages for the environment, but also for the residents: The long-term capping of heating costs and the reduction of energy consumption bring tangible monetary benefits for all users of the Catella projects.
About "Südviertel" in Seestadt
The “Südviertel” is the first construction phase of Seestadt and initially comprises 12 apartment buildings with 248 rental and owner-occupied flats. While the road was still being built around it, the modules, which were prefabricated in a high-quality industrial production process, were already being assembled. Spread over four building structures, six staircase cores were thus created in the first weeks of the year, divided between two buildings with 45 and 74 residential units respectively. Catella celebrated the assembly of the last module with representatives from federal, state and city politics as well as interested citizens and neighbours of the Urban Lakeside. The first tenants moved in in December 2022. Since September 2023, all flats have been completed and are ready for occupancy.
Second largest climate protection settlement in NRW follows
While Seestadt is the largest climate protection development in North Rhine-Westphalia, Catella is also developing the second largest at the same time – “the Düssel-Terrasen”, a project with approx. 750 residential units.
About Catella Project Management
Catella creates living spaces: Catella Project Management develops new neighbourhoods with a long-term perspective. In doing so, the Swedish company implements the concept of the "10-minute city", with the mix of uses of commercial and residential, with attractive living space for all, with sustainable working environments and with the diversity that ensures the sustainable value of the neighbourhood. New mobility concepts make it possible to give people back the open space in the city; the areas between the buildings are planted with greenery and prepared for recreation and meeting. The neighbourhoods developed by Catella are in central locations, are planned to be both car-friendly and car-poor, and are designed with the future in mind overall. The guidelines of the ICG's Social Impact Investing Initiative, which Catella Project Management co-developed and financed, won the imAward in the Social Responsibility category in 2022.
Previous projects include Living Circle in Düsseldorf, Living Lyon in Frankfurt and various commercial projects such as the C&A headquarters and Telekom's largest service centre. The neighbourhood developments Seestadt and Düssel-Terrassen are the two largest certified climate protection settlements in NRW. In the Rhineland alone, around 4,000 new flats are currently being realised, including in Grand Central at Düsseldorf's main railway station, where completion is scheduled for autumn 2023. Catella Project Management is part of the Catella Group, Stockholm, a leading specialist in real estate investment and fund management with offices in 12 countries. The group manages assets of around 13 billion euros. Catella is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm in the Mid Cap segment.
Press contact
Klaus Franken
+ 49 211 90 99 35 10
+49 172 3181210