Kaarst faces important decisionsand CDU mayoral candidate Christian Horn-Heinemann shows how the city can master the challenges ahead - from budget issues, climate protection and mobility to affordable housing and a vibrant city centre.
The first initiatives are already having an impact: Horn-Heinemann has brought companies to Kaarst and is focusing on realistic, transparent prioritisation of investments.
Find out what concrete plans he has for Kaarst in the following interview.
The city will have to draw up a budget protection concept in 2026. What measures do you intend to take to ensure that the financial situation improves again in the coming years? improved?
Christian Horn-Heinemann: For me, one thing is certain: we must keep Kaarst capable of acting through stable revenues and get out of budget protection with all its consequences for Kaarst as quickly as possible.
As the CDU, we have repeatedly emphasised in recent years that the increase in trade tax revenue in particular will be of decisive importance. Thanks to my initiative, three new companies have already been able to settle in Kaarst. As mayor, I want to continue this course consistently: Promote business relocations, create attractive framework conditions and thus generate permanently higher trade tax revenues. We need to actively market commercial sites. Until new companies actually pay business tax, property management must be optimised - the sale of commercial space and buildings that are no longer required. This is all the more important as no major company has moved here in the last five years. However, it is also clear that we need accompanying savings. The consolidation process that has been underway since 2021 must be continued and funding must be actively generated. At the same time, we need to make the administration more efficient - which is why we already decided in 2024 to
save 15 full-time positions over the next few years. In this way, we ensure sound finances without unduly restricting life in Kaarst.
How do you intend to solve the rumoured renovation backlog of 350 million euros in public buildings?
Christian Horn-Heinemann: It should be made clear that the EUR 350 million mentioned have not yet been presented in a comprehensible manner, neither in terms of their basis nor their amount - it is a figure that has not yet been presented by the administration.
It should be noted from the information provided that this is a rough cost estimate of all construction measures seen in the existing building stock - i.e. refurbishments, repairs, modernisations and extensions. This is very different from a refurbishment backlog.
In my opinion, we first need an evaluation of the building stock with regard to the actual and cost-validated need for action in order to deal with these measures. In addition, we need to ask ourselves what building stock we will really still need to fulfil our future tasks. Then, against the backdrop of the identified need for action, the urgency of the situation and the resulting economic effects in terms of follow-up costs, we need to prioritise the measures in line with our financial and human resources. It is also important that we agree on a standard for the individual measures and strictly adhere to this standard during implementation.
What immediate measures would you take to improve climate and environmental protection in Kaarst?
Christian Horn-Heinemann: For me, there are three main focal points here:
- Mobility: The mobility concept adopted by a large majority in 2023 must be implemented. In doing so, we must take all road users into account. We must not make the mistake of trying to dictate to people what their individual mobility should be like. At the same time, we must offer an attractive alternative by turning away from the previous understanding of mobility. In this context, we need to make local public transport and rail transport more attractive. Commuter traffic in particular could be significantly reduced if accessibility could be improved. In addition, we need a demand-orientated expansion of the electric charging infrastructure for vehicles that still need or want to use their own cars to get around the city. When it comes to cycling, we must finally implement the measures that have already been decided so that we can enable people to do without their cars here too.
- Municipal heating planWe must quickly provide people with a reliable planning basis for converting the heating supply in their houses and flats. For example, we are promoting the necessary conversion of heating systems that are still operated with fossil fuels and, in many cases, we will also optimise the heat insulation in private homes in this context. Of course, we as a city must also set a good example here.
- PhotovoltaicsThe approach taken by the citizens' energy cooperative Sonnen.Wind.Wende shows the right way forward. Our municipal utilities have also been doing well in this area for several years. We need to bundle the respective potentials and realise synergies.
The aim here is to increase photovoltaic capacities in Kaarst and thus support the transformation of the electricity and, in some cases, the heating sector. Unfortunately, the opportunities for wind energy in Kaarst are limited due to our small urban area, dense development and proximity to the airports in Mönchengladbach and Düsseldorf. However, there may also be opportunities for inter-municipal co-operation.
NGZ: How do you intend to create more affordable housing for citizens?
Christian Horn-Heinemann: With the municipal housing co-operative, which was founded on the initiative of the CDU, we have a key management tool for this. Kommunale Wohnraumversorgung Kaarst e.G. is already creating living space for over 100 people with the two projects on Neersener Strasse and Glehner Strasse. At the same time, we have a strong and reliable partner in GWG Neuss, with whom we have been able to advance good projects in a spirit of trust for years. A current example of this is the project at Commerhof, where social housing is being created, particularly for assisted living. However, we need to focus not only on publicly subsidised housing, but also on creating additional living space in all segments. Here I see concrete prospects for creating additional living space, particularly in the development of the Commerhof and Im Rottfeld building sites. This must be brought forward in the coming years. However, it is also clear that Kaarst must be very careful with its limited land potential - the city cannot cope with many large new building sites en masse and this contradicts the environmental concept or the existing infrastructure - Kaarst should remain a medium-sized town with lots of greenery around it! The town centre should become more attractive.
NGZ: What is your vision of the city centre of the future?
Christian Horn-Heinemann: The question we should ask ourselves is: How can we bring the citizens of Kaarst together in the town centre tomorrow and the day after tomorrow in order to continue to build and live a sense of community through the opportunity to meet. Brick-and-mortar retail will possibly play a different role in this than it has done in the past. Nevertheless, it will continue to be very important in the future. Just as important, however, are the additional services on offer and the quality of life in the city centre, which are decisive for the design of the public space. It doesn't really matter what my vision of the city centre is, but rather what vision the citizens have. The process so far has shown that the ideas of the commissioned urban planners and the majority of the city council have clearly not reflected what the population and, above all, the residents of the city centre had in mind. In my opinion, we need to consider where we need to make adjustments and then finally take concrete action.
This process has not been actively pursued by the top management for two years now. We can only convince people that we are investing in their future if we prove to them that we can implement what we have planned quickly and purposefully. We should also be honest about what we can pragmatically realise with the resources available to us.