Panattoni Realizes City Dock on a Chemical Brownfield in Hanover

The project developer Panattoni is realizing another so-called City Dock in Hanover. This is the first multi-tenant business park in Lower Saxony with around 23,000 sqm of usable space. Initially, an elaborate conversion of the former chemical site with 47,000 sqm took place. Additionally, in collaboration with brownfield specialists Hagedorn, a World War II aerial bomb had to be safely defused.

(Hamburg/Hanover) Panattoni, the leading project developer for industrial and logistics real estate in Europe, is developing a business park based on the “City Dock” concept in Hanover. On a plot area of approximately 47,000 sqm, about 16,400 sqm of warehouse and production space, around 3,600 sqm of office space, and approximately 3,600 sqm of flex space will be created. The flex space is located below the office areas and can be adapted to the individual needs of the tenant. A total of five autonomous buildings with a height of 8.20 m UKB will be created, which can be divided into 13 business park units ranging from 1,000 sqm to 1,800 sqm. The City Docks are being developed according to Panattoni’s high-quality standards and will meet the DGNB Gold standard. The sustainable building development is being carried out in close coordination with the state capital Hanover and the responsible department for environment and urban greenery, as well as the municipal climate protection office.

Use After Three Decades of Stagnation

The property is located about 20 minutes by car from Hanover city center and has excellent infrastructural connections to the public transport network as well as to the A2 and A7 motorways and the B65 federal road. It is the brownfield of the former chemical trading company Kertess Chemie. Through the revitalization by Hagedorn, the area that has been dormant for three decades will be returned to commercial use. Extensive measures are required to remedy environmental damage and remove contaminated sites. After the discovery of ordnance on the property, a five-hundred-kilogram aerial bomb from World War II was successfully defused.

For the elaborate development of the conversion area, Panattoni is working in partnership with the Hagedorn Group, a full-service provider for demolition, contaminated site remediation, civil engineering, disposal, and material flow management, which is responsible for the remediation of the property. Axel Köster, head of the Hagedorn Revital GmbH, comments on the joint development of the property as follows: “We are pleased to collaborate with Panattoni on this revitalization in Hanover. Through our efforts, we are creating space for new developments and avoiding new land sealing.” Hagedorn’s work is expected to be completed by mid-2022. Panattoni anticipates the final completion of the City Dock for early 2023.

Orientation Allows for Tenant Diversity

“Due to the economic significance of the Hanover location and the very good infrastructural connections of our property, we see a high potential for settlements by companies from various sectors and with different usage interests. In our City Dock, both small and medium-sized enterprises as well as startups and branch operators feel at home,” says Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner of Panattoni. “Particularly noteworthy in this development is the collaborative partnership with the Hagedorn Group, the state capital Hanover, the planning and urban development department, and economic development.”

The City Dock Hanover is the seventh City Dock project that Panattoni is currently realizing. Further innovative business parks are being developed in Berlin, Baden-Württemberg, and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Photo: © Panattoni