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Schwerin-Lankow: Citizens fight for their beloved playground!
Schwerin: Residents are collecting signatures to preserve their playground in Lankow - citizens' petition against new building plans.
Schwerin-Lankow: Citizens fight for their beloved playground!
In Schwerin-Lankow, the question of maintaining a popular playground in the middle of the city district is urgent. The playground on Kieler Straße, a true gem with an area of around 5,000 square meters, not only offers a slide, tire swings and a climbing frame, but also old fruit trees with fruity mirabelle plums, plums and pears. Families like Susanne Wismar's, who come there regularly with their two children, value this green oasis. The Schwerin SPD even describes this square as one of Schwerin's "most beautiful playgrounds", but its days seem to be numbered as it is set to make way for a new building project that includes doctor's offices, apartments and shops.
The city council decided in July to sell the property to a Schwerin business family for around 450,000 euros. This decision was met with opposition from the neighborhood; Residents are raising concerns about the loss of the playground. Veronika Stambor and other residents see no need for additional medical facilities because, according to the MV Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, there is no additional need for resident doctors in Schwerin. An action group known as ASK has launched a citizens' initiative to stop the sale of the property and preserve the playground. A total of 4,000 signatures are needed by September 8th.
Current developments and future prospects
The protest is already having an impact: After a week, around 700 signatures were collected. Stephan Martini, a city representative from the ASK, criticizes the city for the lack of participation by the children's and youth council and sees the legal situation as being violated. However, construction department head Bernd Nottebaum emphasizes that the sale must be implemented now, as it was already decided in 2020 and ultimately failed due to a lack of replacement land.
The Stein entrepreneurial family plans to invest in the new building and promises to build three smaller replacement playgrounds. However, Astrid Kindel, a co-initiator of the citizens' initiative, expresses concerns and describes the proposed areas as smaller, less attractive and not suitable for children. Tilmann Stein from the investor group sees the protest as unrepresentative and emphasizes that the existing medical practices are at capacity.
New playground in Schwerin
The result is a small adventure park with a play ship for climbing, a sand play area, a trampoline and special offers for people with disabilities. Shady areas created by old trees also contribute to the attractiveness of the new area. A barrier-free bench and table group with a chess set also ensures a pleasant quality of stay. The new playground is easily accessible from all sides and fits harmoniously into the surrounding area.
Both cases show how important child-friendly planning is for the quality of life in communities. A well thought out one Game plan, which takes into account the voices of children and young people, could help both to prevent the loss of existing playgrounds and to promote the creation of new, attractive play areas. It remains to be hoped that both the preservation of the popular playground in Lankow and the newly created offerings in Schwerin will find a sustainable solution that meets the needs of all residents.