Plot 4500 m² (nursery) - preparation of development plan independently

Good evening,

I have been reading on your forum for some time and would like to introduce our project today.

The search for a plot of land:
We live in Leipzig/suburban area and have been looking for an affordable and large plot of land (from 1,000 m²) since the beginning of 2019. Unfortunately, prices have risen so much in our area (Leipzig) that you pay from €300/m² on the outskirts and at least €150/m² in the surrounding area. In addition, we were reluctant to buy a plot in a new development area. That is why our search remained unsuccessful until 2020.

Through acquaintances, we then learned at the beginning of 2020 that the plot of an old nursery in the district was to be sold. I am attaching a location plan. It has a total of approx. 6,000 m² and in the front area of the property is the owner’s house, which she still wanted to use herself. Therefore, approx. 4,500 m² with the nursery ruin, a large chimney, and an old Christmas tree plantation that has become a real forest are to be sold.
This also means access via a right of way and development via easements. Storks nest on the old chimney of the nursery.

Buildability:
To clarify the buildability, we made an appointment at the city building authority after the first inspection.
The first statement was sobering, no possibility for a building permit due to being a back lot and outer area. After a short consideration, however, the official said that there is a possibility through the development of a land-use plan.
My husband and I were of course pleased, even though it is a big challenge. The plot and the location are great and the price of €105,000 after negotiation was also right. I am a real estate business economist with an additional degree in HVAC and my husband is a project manager in the ELT and automation sector, so we dared to take this path.

Preparation of the development plan:
Subsequently, initial talks were held with an urban planner and a purchase contract (August 2020) was concluded with a suspensive condition (1.5 years time for the creation of the land-use plan, after which the seller has a right of withdrawal).
One condition for the development of the plan was the creation of 2 plots so that the city could take responsibility for the plan.
After the initial preliminary inquiry at all involved offices, it quickly became clear that a nature conservation report was required. This also costs a lot of time and money, so the land-use plan could only be submitted to the city council in October 2021. Afterwards, all involved offices and authorities were allowed to submit possible objections and requirements, which were evaluated by the urban planner. Luckily there were few demands, so the development plan will finally be established in February 2022.

Thus, we have our plot with approx. 1,500 m², a forest with approx. 1,000 m², a chimney with storks, and a second plot for sale with a size of 900 m².

The following costs have been incurred:
- approx. €8,000 for surveying
- approx. €13,000 for the urban planner
- approx. €6,500 for the nature conservation report
- approx. €9,000 for notary, real estate transfer tax, lawyer, etc.
- approx. €1,200 for the geotechnical report
- demolition approx. €20,000 (currently ongoing)
- development still open

I also wanted to give a small experience report here that shows that the conversion to building land is also possible for laypeople within a foreseeable time if the municipality is open to discussion.
If you have any questions, I am of course happy to answer them.
In the coming weeks, I will certainly have some questions in the areas of floor plan and financing and hope for your support.

Good luck! Groitzsch is already closer to Zeitz than to Leipzig. But I think you’ve still landed something good here, even if it involved a lot of work and waiting. And for something affordable, you just have to go further out and take unusual routes.

that the conversion into building land is also possible for laypeople within a foreseeable time frame, if the municipality is willing to talk.

After a short consideration, however, the official said that one possibility is through the preparation of a development plan.

I am a real estate business economist

This is a combination of NON-laypeople (as a real estate business economist you are not a layperson) and a cooperative office. That puts you among the 0.1% who can dare to do this.

Congratulations on the result and the timeline. In larger cities and municipalities, however, this is not feasible in less than three years, even for real professionals.

Yes, that is of course true, even though with my 2 years in the industry I still felt like one. And we really were lucky with the community. They also already had experience with such small development plans; others had done that before us.

Thank you ! Yes, that's true about Zeitz, but the city is not as attractive as Leipzig. And luckily, it only takes me 35 minutes to get to work in East Leipzig.

So we have our plot of land with approximately 1500 m², a forest with about 1,000 m², a chimney with storks, and a second plot of land for sale with a size of 900 m².

I find it interesting that in reality 291/2 is also forest, but in the cadastre only 291/5.