New ecological areas are being created in Schönau, Reichenbrand and Furth

The planning office Mineralprojekt from Chemnitz (based in the Grüna district) was commissioned with the planning and local construction supervision. The measures were planned from a nature conservation point of view under the responsibility of the Parks Department and in co-operation with the Lower Nature Conservation Authority in the Environmental Agency. The construction work is being carried out by Fachcenter Garten + STL-Bau GmbH from Hauptmannsgrün.

The costs of the compensatory measures amount to around 103,000 euros and will not be financed from the municipal budget, but will be borne by third parties who will provide ecological compensation on the basis of their measures elsewhere.

In the Schönau district, a compensatory and replacement measure is being implemented on an area of around 14,000 square metres on Neefestrasse for the photovoltaic system construction project on the south ramp (a construction project by a private investor in 2012): The gardens of the "Am Künzelholz" residential development and along Ehrlichstrasse form the eastern to southern boundary. The area is currently overgrown with (ruderal) tall herbaceous vegetation developing on fallow land. Individual trees and groups of trees are present in some areas. The aim of the compensatory and replacement measure that has now been implemented is a belt-like shrub planting with a total width of approx. ten metres on the south and east sides, whereby the existing woodland will be preserved and integrated into the new planting areas.The distance between the wooded area and the buildings or private gardens was planned at approx. five metres so that the intermediate area can be easily mowed as part of the maintenance services. The remaining compensation area next to the belt-like shrub planting is left to natural succession, i.e. the development of plants based on natural factors.

In the Reichenbrand district, a compensatory and replacement measure for the large-scale construction project for a school for the physically disabled on Heinrich-Schütz-Straße is being realised on an area of around 7,700 square metres that was previously used for agricultural purposes between Neefestraße in the south and residential buildings on Reichenbrander Straße in the north.

In addition to allowing natural development (succession) on the previously intensively used arable land, the plan is to create alternating wetland swales and the initial planting of woody plants: To create the alternating wetland swales in the area of the natural terrain depression, earth dams with a low construction height of up to approx. 70 centimetres, which retain normal amounts of precipitation and ensure natural evaporation and seepage. In the event of heavy rainfall, appropriate overflow structures and terrain troughs will ensure that surface water is drained slowly and without damage. As flooding of neighbouring private properties has repeatedly occurred in the past, residents have built a ditch and earth bank on the north-eastern boundary of the land on their own initiative. This natural protective structure is to be retained in the future, but will be professionally rebuilt as part of the construction work. For this reason, the spruce trees planted on municipal land will also have to be cleared, as they hinder the construction of the new embankment.

In the district of Furth, a compensatory and replacement measure for the planned Conti-Galerie development on Waisenstrasse will be realised on an area of around 9,500 square metres on land previously used for agriculture at Ebersdorfer Wald (north of Adalbert-Stifter-Weg). The plan here is to create three shallow alternating wetland swales with a total area of around 1,600 square metres and a maximum water level of 50 centimetres. This will be realised by profiling the terrain and creating shallow earth dams, including initial planting of reeds. Once the swales have been created, the areas will be left to develop naturally (succession).

For the woodland plantings in Schönau and Reichenbrand, the Parks Department has also commissioned maintenance services until autumn 2015 in order to successfully support and accompany the growth of the trees and shrubs.