Residents defend themselves against secret concrete plant in Ochtmissen!

Residents defend themselves against secret concrete plant in Ochtmissen!

in Ochtmissen, a small town between the motorway and Hamburger Straße, resisting the plans of the Manzke company from Volkstorf, a concrete mixing plant is being built. Around two dozen residents have come together in the “Pro Pappenburg” citizens' initiative to protest the project. Your concerns are clear: they fear for their quality of life due to increased noise, dirt and above all through the upcoming increase in traffic.

The discussion about the construction of the mixing plant has recorded on speed. Managing Director Felix Manzke said in a citizens' meeting that the location was acquired in 2021 after some consideration - as a precaution because a mobile mixing plant in the Hanseviertel soon has to be closed. He promises that the new work will be a closed system that minimizes dust emissions and that the company remains as environmentally friendly as possible. But the residents hear these words skeptical.

previous fears and current developments

The concerns of the residents are not unfounded. In a meeting, a representative expressed that there was already a "traffic collapse". Especially the 18,000 vehicles passing past the old B4 made control of the traffic difficult. However, Manzke reacted to the criticism by explaining that only 60 to 100 truck loads should be fed in a day, of which only a small part would drive towards the bardo turn.

But the residents are not convinced. Many of them therefore emphasize that the responsibility for their security is in the hands of the city and the circle. The way to school in particular would have to be secured. A woman from the citizens' initiative reported that over 80 cyclists recently passed on Monday morning and pointed out that the trucks are a serious danger.

Another aspect that the citizens' initiative appeals is is the physical barrier that would form the industrial area between the village and the Landwehr path. At the moment, these two areas are already separated from each other by the motorway and a railway line with noise protection walls, which makes the integration of the new industrial area even more complicated. They therefore suggest that residential construction projects nearby should be better integrated into the industrial area in order to better connect the two districts.

As part of the protests, the city has now reacted to the symptoms and initiated a development plan procedure that only has to be finally decided by the consent of the Council. The citizens' initiative hopes that it will be able to convince politics and enforce adjustments to the plans.

Despite these tensions, the Manzke company adheres to its project. During the presentations already carried out in the Lüneburg administration and in Bardowick, it became clear that they consider the political concerns as unreasonable. Managing Director Manzke criticized that the town hall had spoken of a construction stop; For him it is only a temporary interruption.

The company is located in the construction industry, which is currently faced with massive declines. Manzke himself runs 40 concrete plants in the region, which are around 30 kilometers to each other in order to minimize the logistical effort. The proximity to the highway is crucial in order to be able to use the truck efficiently and reduce the pollutant emissions. Technical director Hendrik Hilmer also promises that modern techniques could halve the water consumption of the processes.

While Manzke addresses the economic puzzles of the construction industry, in which craft businesses fight with declines in order, the resistance remains in Ochtmissen. The residents continue to work for the city to find a well -thought -out solution that meets both the economic needs and the concerns of citizens. The course of the procedure will be decisive for the future of the planned concrete plant, and the residents continuously behave vigilantly. by Carlo Eggeling