State development: municipalities to be given more leeway

The Saxon government wants to present a new state development plan (LEP) in this legislative period and grant municipalities more leeway. "This should be a common thread running through the plan. We want to open up opportunities instead of preventing developments. Planning must be a door opener for innovation and growth, but also have social needs in mind," said Regina Kraushaar, Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

The regional development plan is the government's overall interdisciplinary regional planning concept for the spatial organization and development of the Free State. It contains strategies for settlement development, economic development, nature and environmental protection and transport infrastructure. It also defines the distribution of areas for housing, commerce, agriculture and recreation.

Land development plan is outdated

The CDU politician speaks of a complex process. The current version of the LEP dates back to 2013 and tends to hinder some necessary developments today. At that time, around 2,000 comments and around 10,000 individual comments were received, which were taken into account when drafting the plan. "It takes time, but it's worth it." Broad participation ensures that all relevant interests are included in the planning.

Regulatory density should be kept to a minimum

"It is important for us to have a strategy that does both: Not bloated and easy to understand. We need a practical, targeted instrument that gives local authorities, companies and citizens clear guidance on the one hand and at the same time limits the density of regulation to the minimum required," emphasized the Minister.

Economic, social and ecological interests should not be in conflict with each other, but should be reconciled. Good spatial planning must also anticipate possible changes in the future and keep an eye on climate change, general economic development and demographics, for example.

Enabling rather than constraining

"We specify the necessary core content of a regional development plan. We keep the scope as narrow as possible," said Kraushaar. The aim is to enable and not to constrain. With a view to its economic development, Saxony must focus even more on development potential. "This means, for example, which raw material deposits should be designated as a precautionary measure and which sites should already be reserved for possible large-scale settlements. The new state development plan should apply: We set the general framework, but the details should be regulated locally," said Kraushaar, explaining the approach.

Municipalities demand more personal responsibility

The personal responsibility of the municipalities should be brought back to the fore, because that is exactly what they are demanding. However, the new version of the state development plan is not a sprint, but a long-distance run, emphasized the Minister. Depending on the progress of the legally prescribed participation steps, the state's new state planning specifications are expected to be available in 2027/28.