At its meeting on March 27, the city council gave the green light for the expansion of the southern university campus (Photo: FAU/Simon Krikava). Accordingly, an amendment to the land use plan was approved, which previously showed the area as forest land. The area is now designated as a university special development area.
Development plan no. 467 was also approved, which forms the legal basis for planning. The expansion is intended to strengthen the Faculty of Engineering at Friedrich-Alexander University and create additional space for research and teaching in order to further expand research capacities. The scope of the plan covers a total of 5.11 hectares, including the eastern edge of Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Straße. The resolutions were preceded by the prescribed statutory participation procedure with a comprehensive examination and consideration of comments.
Master planning for the southern area
In previous years, the Friedrich-Alexander University has drawn up a development concept for the entire southern university site with the "Masterplan Südgelände", which the city council approved back in 2022. In addition to the densification of the already built-up area, additional expansion areas are urgently needed. These expansion areas will house modern research facilities such as laboratories, workshops and offices as well as the North Bavarian High Performance Computing Center and other institute-related facilities. The building rights that have now been created will enable the Faculty of Engineering to expand in an urban development-friendly manner.
Environmental and climate impacts examined
The environmental and climate impacts were examined as part of the development plan. They are offset by extensive measures such as replacement reforestation and the creation of replacement habitats for endangered animal species. The future building plots were optimized with the help of a climate ecology report in order to reduce negative effects on the climate. Neither the wooded banks of the Röthelheimgraben to the north nor the protected lichen-pine forest to the south will be encroached upon.
There is also a report in the city newspaper "Rathausplatz 1" - April 2025 issue.