New development area Söhrenbergweg: local council splits Waiblingen with a narrow decision!

New development area Söhrenbergweg: local council splits Waiblingen with a narrow decision!

On Thursday evening, May 23, 2025, the Waiblingen local council approved the new development area in Söhrenbergweg in Neustadt with a narrow vote of 17 to 16 votes. This decision caused considerable debate because it ignored the vote of the local council. The new quarter in the middle of Waiblingen's green nature becomes reality.

The approval of the new building project is part of a comprehensive urban development that aims to actively involve citizens. The city of Waiblingen has therefore set up a “track group” consisting of 16 community squares and other members of the city administration to discuss and develop the urban development plan.

Citizen participation and tracking group

Interested citizens have the opportunity to register to participate in this lane group until August 28, 2023. A total of 400 people aged 16 and over will be drawn from the population register in two lottery procedures. The selection takes into account a mix of genders and ages in order to ensure a diverse discussion. The planned meetings, which are scheduled to take place on three evenings in autumn 2023, will cover topics such as the basic goals for the new development area, future forms of housing and the development of a usage catalog.

The working group meetings are scheduled for September 25, 2023, October 23, 2023 and November 20, 2023 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The exact venue will be announced after registration. Participants can also expect a city marketing voucher worth 50 euros in recognition of their commitment.

The responsibility for the external moderation lies with the company Weeber+Partner and Pesch Partner Architektur Stadtplanung GmbH, which indicates professional support of the process.

The contact persons for inquiries are the Waiblingen city administration, in particular Ms. Beyl from the urban planning department. She can be reached by email at alexandra.beyl(at)waiblingen.de and by telephone at 07151 5001-3121.

While the new construction project is being pushed forward, it remains to be seen how the discussions within the population will develop and what impulses the track group can provide. The city of Waiblingen is at the beginning of an important chapter in its urban development and the involvement of citizens is a crucial step.

stuttgarter-nachrichten.de reports that the decision about the new development area was already controversial for many in advance, while waiblingen.de addresses citizen participation in the development of the project.