Environmental impact assessment within a landuse planning procedures

The city of Flensburg intends to implement extensive development of building sites in the area of the main station in the next few years. Hence, on February 14, 2013 the council of the city of Flensburg decided to define the redevelopment area “Südstadt: Bahnhofsumfeld”, as well as appropriate redevelopment goals and a framework. Within the scope of the planned urban upgrading of the area, the existing land-use-plan (Flächennutzungsplan) is being modified and several development plans (Bebauungspläne) will be drafted.

According to §2(4) combined with §2a of the German Federal Building Code (Baugesetzbuch), both significant changes in the land-use-plan and in drafts for development plans are subjects of an environmental impact assessment. The environmental reports (Umweltberichte), have to be set up according to appendix 1 to BauGB and in particular should further include a balancing of impacts and mitigation measures concerning nature conservation (Eingriffs-Ausgleichbilanzierung). Acc. §2 UVPG, the following catalogue of protected resources has to be dealt with:

• Humans, including human health,
• animals, plants and biological diversity,
• soil, water, air,
• climate and landscape, cultural and real assets
• as well as interactions between the protected resources stated above.

The Flensburger Gesellschaft für Stadterneuerung mbH engaged OECOS GmbH to conduct the environmental impact assessments (Umweltprüfungen) for the urban land use plans mentioned above.