INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE SURVEY
[BIZ/INFRA: Aachen, November 23] The most striking development compared with the previous year was the clear increase by 24% of the total industrial reserve area. This is primarily due to the municipalities efforts in addition to factors related to the survey such as an increase in the area covered and the employment of a new system The immediately available supply of industrial real estate in the Aachen Region (552 ha) was stable in comparison with the previous year. Shortages only arose in three municipalities, and these were solved by cooperation or development. Clear increases were apparent in the region, in areas that could be ready within a period of between two to five years. The short-term available potential at 214 grew by 56%. The area available in the medium-term rose by 459 hectares, by half compared with 2003. The greater part of the increase was a result of an active policy in the districts of Aachen, Düren, and Euskirchen. The selling price of the land in the region was between EUR 6 and EUR 150 per square meter. The weighted average price level had increased on the previous year from EUR 38 to EUR 41; and, at 37.3 hectares, the total number of lots had reached the size of 2004 (the previous year). The number of sales at 75 (in 2003) fell to 59, so that the number of municipalities who were able to release land fell from 60% to 53%. The focus of interest was in the district of Heinsberg, as every second square meter that was released was there. However, it should be noted that the Municipality of Heinsberg itself was not included in this. Aachen was in second place and was able to release just a fifth of the land. The districts of Aachen, Düren, and Euskirchen saw a fall in demand of between 57% and 42%. The major demand comes from the logistics, trading and processing sectors, whereas the year before it was from the construction and housing sectors, which are now less important. Logistics and transport, forwarding and commissioning are at the heart of things. In 2004 every third square meter went to this sector. The average size of the plots in 2004 was a good 6,300m2, as against 5,050 m2 the year before. This shows an increased demand for larger lots (up to five hectares). Their share rose by 38% and purchase interest in the 0.2 < 0.5 ha segment fell by 41%. Among the 59 businesses looking for land, nine were truly new and four were from the Lower Rhine area, two from the neighboring Netherlands, and one each from Italy and Japan.
The 2004 Survey of Industrial Real Estate in the Aachen Region was able to cover 45 of the 46 municipalities. For the first time, this provides a survey by lot, using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). A total of 212 industrial/business sites with a net surface area of 5,048 hectares and a reserve of 1,351 hectares were included in the survey.
(Source: Gewerbeflächen-Monitoring 2004, AGIT mbH)
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