The first public information event on the Gitter integrated district development concept took place in February 2019. At that time, the citizens gathered in the Christuskirche gave many suggestions for the design of the district.

Suggestions incorporated into revised concept

The Braunschweig architectural firm Grundmann, which was commissioned to develop the concept, and the administrative staff incorporated the ideas of the Gitter residents from the first information event and the discussions with the village community into the development concept and now presented the results to the residents in the Christuskirche.

Councillor Michael Tacke made it clear that the citizens, together with the administration and the accompanying office, were making a recommendation to the political bodies with this concept. The decision-making authority lies with the council. Once the concept had been adopted, a separate resolution would have to be passed for the implementation of each individual measure.

Allowing interior development in the town center

At the public information event in February, many residents spoke out in favor of abolishing what they saw as the strict existing design statutes, which do not allow any development in the town center and impose restrictive regulations on the design of buildings. The revised concept provides for the abolition of the design statutes and development plans for this area. This would enable further inner-city development.

Some participants expressed the fear that the town center could lose its historical character in this way. This is why there should be a preservation statute for the town center, which is divided into two zones and secures the historic town center in its existing state.

Dierk Grundmann, owner of the architectural firm, also suggested that the citizens could decide together as a community what such a future development could look like in order to preserve the current character and avoid excessive densification as far as possible. The creation of a design guide, which describes design examples as a recommendation, would be useful here.
The reorganization of the design statutes with less restrictive specifications was also discussed controversially.

Properties outside the village center

In addition to the village center, the properties outside the inner area were evaluated for their suitability as building plots. Norbert Thiele, an employee of the office, presented this point. The potentials were divided into three categories according to the traffic light system (green - suitable, yellow - conditionally suitable, red - not suitable). Two areas in the south of Gitter in particular were shown to be unsuitable for development, as gliders fly over them to the "Am Schäferstuhl" glider site. For the plots located directly on the B6, up-to-date noise reports must be drawn up in order to assess any development.

Restricting speeding

In response to the citizens' comments about the frequent speeding of many drivers on the streets "Am Ritterhof" and "Zum Schäferstuhl", the administration referred to the design proposals for the reconstruction of the street "Am Ritterhof" and the possibility of installing a mobile speed measurement panel in consultation with the traffic watch and the public order department.

Upgrading squares

Other points were the upgrading of the square in front of the Christuskirche church and the square at the fire station as an event location, as well as the idea of multiple use of the football pitch. The proposal to modernize the aging playground and perhaps upgrade it into a multi-generational square as a meeting place for young and old was met with broad approval from the audience.

Renewal of the local thoroughfare only after 2021

The busy thoroughfare was also discussed. Tacke made it clear that the funds for the renewal of the "Am Ritterhof/Alte Salzstraße" thoroughfare have been set aside in the municipal budget for 2021 and that the ideas from the district development concept should be taken into account in the planning. Between 2021 and 2023, however, the state's road construction administration is planning to renovate the B6 with a full road closure. The plans must be coordinated.
The city planning officer also had some good news: the council has passed a resolution in principle to stop charging residents for roadworks from 2021. However, the statutes would still have to be formally repealed by council resolution.