The good news for many who want to renovate their house in iphofen is that they will continue to receive financial assistance. The city will pay at least part of the additional costs of monument preservation in specified areas: a maximum of 20,000 euros per plot of land. But the demand is not only tied to conditions, but is now also limited in time. The city council agreed on monday evening to a voluntary payment until the end of 2020.
The background is that at the end of this year the government of lower franconia will withdraw from the urban development program for the districts of birklingen, dornheim, hellmitzheim and possenheim. After 20 years, it sees the redevelopment goals largely achieved. If the city wants to support its builders, it will in future also have to bear the state’s 60-percent demand quota. Mayor josef mend expects additional costs of 80 000 to 100 000 euro per year. "The development of the villages could be worth it to us," he said.
Not everyone likes that, especially since the government is not tired of pointing out the value of qualified redevelopment. "The government preaches wine and pours water," said second mayor ludwig weigand, who was from hellmitzheim. Third mayor jorg schanow was also critical of the program without state funding and suggested that it be limited in time.
In order to receive grants, developers must seek advice from the city planner prior to any project. This is to ensure that they adhere to the specifications of the local design statutes, which stipulate, for example, the material of windows and doors or the color and shape of roof tiles. This advice will continue to be free of charge for those affected – in order to preserve the high quality of rehabilitation in the villages, as the city council hieb.
While iphofen and monchsondheim receive state subsidies beyond the end of the year due to their important historical monuments, the demands in nenzenheim expired five years ago with the end of the village renewal. In order not to put the district in a worse position, there are to be grants for renovation in addition to the free advice – until further notice 8000 euros per plot of land. The sticking point is the lack of a design statute, which has not been necessary until now because nenzenheim was demanded from another pot.
But city councilor rupert maier pointed out the problem: "if a builder doesn’t care about the grant, he can build as he likes. This is illogical. Why don’t we apply the same criteria in nenzenheim as in other parts of town??"Even mend did not want to deny a "certain better position" of the nenzenheimers. Alexander hansch, the city’s district representative, suggested that the topic be presented at the burgers’ meeting at the beginning of 2018 and that the burgers decide whether there should be a design statute for their place.
Dieter lenzer went one step further: the maximum request of 20,000 euros should only be made if the people of nenzenheim are prepared to agree to a design statute – otherwise the maximum is 8,000 euros. This is the premise with which mend intends to go to the city council meeting next year.