Million-euro funding for new large industrial area in Gera

With nearly 12 million euros, the Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs is funding the development of the new industrial area "Cretzschwitz" in Gera. Thuringia's Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Tiefensee today handed over the funding decision in Gera to Mayor Dr. Viola Hahn. "Gera needs new perspectives for its economic development," said Tiefensee. The existing commercial areas in the city are more than 90 percent utilized – especially larger contiguous areas of more than five hectares are no longer available. "We expect the large area to provide a new industrial boost for the entire region." The project is one of eight key projects of the "Thuringian Large Area Initiative" throughout Thuringia – and thus one of the sites that the Free State is developing with high priority. It is important to further develop the Upper Center of Eastern Thuringia with its central location in the growth region between Leipzig, Halle, and Jena, said Mayor Dr. Viola Hahn: "We want to make greater use of our central location in the three-state corner of Thuringia–Saxony–Saxony-Anhalt. A trump card is the immediate proximity to the two north-south and east-west motorways through Europe, which we can play even better in the future with new, attractive area offerings. This will significantly improve our position in the location competition for investments and settlements." The total costs including planning services for the development amount to around 13 million euros, of which the state bears 11.8 million euros from the joint task "Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure" (GRW). With the large industrial area, approximately 42 hectares of land will be developed in the first step. The goal is to market it to larger companies with a space requirement of up to eight hectares. The development area borders the existing commercial area "Am Vogelherd" to the south and is connected to the A4 motorway via federal highway B2. The distance to the Gera junction is approximately nine kilometers. Both areas are located north of the incorporated locality of Cretzschwitz and are touched by federal highway B2 to the west. The State Development Company of Thuringia mbH (LEG) is responsible for the development. This includes, among other things, terrain regulation and site clearance, road construction including lighting, the construction of a wastewater sewer including a pumping station, a rainwater sewer including a retention basin, as well as water supply and compensatory measures. Press release from the Thuringian Ministry of Economics, Science and Digital Society dated December 21, 2016