Siegfried Glass basically likes to live in Langel. Five years ago he moved from Düsseldorf to his partner, with whom he now lives on a former farm in the Rhine village. One thing, however, bothers him immensely: “If you don’t have a car here, you’re lost,” he says. “You would have to starve to death”. Because neither in Langel nor in the neighboring Rheinkassel there are grocery stores or other shops for everyday items.
“There is a discounter in Merkenich, which is three kilometers away. Another is in Blumenberg – also three to four kilometers away. The next center, Worringen, is just as far away, ”he lists. “Even the nearest bakery can only be found in Fühlingen, that’s two kilometers away.”
Inadequate local supply
Glass’ impressions coincide with those of many residents of the district, because when it comes to the problems of the Chorweilers district, the inadequate local supply situation has been at the fore for some time.
This observation also coincides with the results of the retail and center concept from 2013, the update of which from last year was presented to the Chorweiler district council at its most recent meeting. According to the concept, Chorweiler has a sales area of 274 square meters per 1000 inhabitants – a value that remains well below the average and has remained almost constant since 2008.
However, there are big differences within the district: Chorweiler with the city center functioning as the district center, Worringen, Roggendorf / Thenhoven and also Pesch with several grocery stores and discounters are well equipped in terms of quantity and quality. Significant deficits, however, can be found in Lindweiler, Seeberg, Fühlingen, Esch / Auweiler and Merkenich.
Bad infrastructure in the Rhine villages
That this situation has existed for a long time can also be confirmed by Glass, who has been familiar with the towns in the north of Cologne not only since he moved here. “I’ve known Langel for 15 or 16 years. The situation has been the same for me for just as long, ”he says. “The question is rather, why is that nothing? I just don’t understand that. ”One possible explanation could be that his district is not considered a separate district at all, but is combined with the neighboring Rheinkassel and Merkenich further south to form the Merkenich district. Among these three districts, Merkenich alone is equipped with its own supply, while Rheinkassel and Langel lack this due to the “low population potential” – a reason that is often given when the Rhine villages are denied infrastructural improvements.
However, it is noted in the current update that there is a need for action, above all because Merkenicher Hauptstraße, which was previously considered a local supply center, has been downgraded to a “local supply location”: the only seven retail outlets on the street, with a total of 800 square meters, remain well below the orientation value for local supply centers. To improve the situation, the concept encourages the establishment of another small-scale food market in Merkenich.
For Glass this would probably not bring any noticeable improvement, after all there are also several kilometers between Langel and Merkenich – however, there are signs of relief in neighboring Fühlingen: Here the concept provides for the establishment of a large-scale food market, which can also be quickly accessed from Langel via the Mennweg would be achieved. Glass also expects significant improvements from the construction of the new Kreuzfeld district. “But of course that won’t become apparent for a few years,” he says.
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