ᐅ Plot Selection in a New Residential Development for a Single-Family Home – Prioritization
Created on: 15 Apr 2025 21:22
-
-Malte-
Hello everyone,
After a long wait, our city (North Rhine-Westphalia) has finally started marketing a new residential development area on the outskirts. As part of the application process, plots for single-family homes and semi-detached houses are allocated according to a certain distribution logic. We expect to have the opportunity to purchase and will then need to choose quickly from the remaining available plots. The exact timing of when it will be our turn is unclear, so as a preparation, we would like to establish our personal ranking of all the plots.
What are our requirements?
As a family of four (38, 35, 5, 2), we want to build a single-family house (~150-160m² (1600-1720 sq ft) preferably without a basement, with a pitched roof) including a carport/garage. Basically, no special requirements that would directly affect the choice of the plot.
Regarding the plot, we primarily want a location for a single-family home that is as quiet as possible within the development area (noise/through traffic) (priority 1 requirement). Of course, orientation and overall size are also important, but come after the first factor.
What does the development plan specify?
Here are what I consider the most important details from the development plan, which apply equally to all offered plots:
Since linking is not allowed here: the full development plan can be quickly found online by searching “Bocholt Bebauungsplan 8-23 Loikumer Weg”.
Which plots are for sale?
There are 21 plots for single-family homes and 7 plots for semi-detached houses on sale. The price is uniform at €220/m² (€220 per sq m) including development costs. The plots are currently farmland and completely flat. I have attached an aerial photo, an excerpt from the development plan, and a non-binding building concept (only the numbered plots are available for sale).
For more information, the full brochure can also be found online by searching “Bocholt Wohnbaugrundstücke Mussum - Loikumer Weg”.
The development area will be a mixed-use zone: alongside single-family and semi-detached homes, there will be a daycare center, apartment buildings, and a playground. To the west of the development is a federal road, so the western section will be built as continuous development (noise protection facing the road; exact design still unknown). There are three larger apartment buildings to the north. Given the apartment buildings in the north and west, I expect increased through traffic and activity within the development — it will not be a purely quiet single-family home neighborhood. Therefore, when selecting plots, our main focus will be on achieving as much quietness as possible.
Questions for you?
We have been considering which plots have which advantages and even have a few favorites. I’m deliberately not naming them yet to get as unbiased feedback as possible. What would be your favorites, and what aspects would you focus on to best meet our requirements?
Best regards,
Malte
After a long wait, our city (North Rhine-Westphalia) has finally started marketing a new residential development area on the outskirts. As part of the application process, plots for single-family homes and semi-detached houses are allocated according to a certain distribution logic. We expect to have the opportunity to purchase and will then need to choose quickly from the remaining available plots. The exact timing of when it will be our turn is unclear, so as a preparation, we would like to establish our personal ranking of all the plots.
What are our requirements?
As a family of four (38, 35, 5, 2), we want to build a single-family house (~150-160m² (1600-1720 sq ft) preferably without a basement, with a pitched roof) including a carport/garage. Basically, no special requirements that would directly affect the choice of the plot.
Regarding the plot, we primarily want a location for a single-family home that is as quiet as possible within the development area (noise/through traffic) (priority 1 requirement). Of course, orientation and overall size are also important, but come after the first factor.
What does the development plan specify?
Here are what I consider the most important details from the development plan, which apply equally to all offered plots:
- 2 full stories with floor area ratio of 0.4 and total floor space ratio of 0.8
- Base height max. 0.5m (1.5 ft), eaves height max. 6.5m (21 ft), ridge height max. 11.0m (36 ft)
- Roof type:
- If two full stories:
- Flat roof or shed roof with pitch between 22° and 30°.
- Alternatively, stepped stories with flat roof or low-pitched roof up to 16°.
- If one full story: no specification regarding roof type or pitch
- Dormers, roof extensions, and loggias are not allowed
- Garages, carports & outbuildings only within the building zone or adjacent to the side boundary. A 5m (16 ft) clearance must be maintained before garage driveways (excluding carports). Exceeding the garden-side building line is permitted up to a depth of 2m (6.5 ft).
Since linking is not allowed here: the full development plan can be quickly found online by searching “Bocholt Bebauungsplan 8-23 Loikumer Weg”.
Which plots are for sale?
There are 21 plots for single-family homes and 7 plots for semi-detached houses on sale. The price is uniform at €220/m² (€220 per sq m) including development costs. The plots are currently farmland and completely flat. I have attached an aerial photo, an excerpt from the development plan, and a non-binding building concept (only the numbered plots are available for sale).
For more information, the full brochure can also be found online by searching “Bocholt Wohnbaugrundstücke Mussum - Loikumer Weg”.
The development area will be a mixed-use zone: alongside single-family and semi-detached homes, there will be a daycare center, apartment buildings, and a playground. To the west of the development is a federal road, so the western section will be built as continuous development (noise protection facing the road; exact design still unknown). There are three larger apartment buildings to the north. Given the apartment buildings in the north and west, I expect increased through traffic and activity within the development — it will not be a purely quiet single-family home neighborhood. Therefore, when selecting plots, our main focus will be on achieving as much quietness as possible.
Questions for you?
We have been considering which plots have which advantages and even have a few favorites. I’m deliberately not naming them yet to get as unbiased feedback as possible. What would be your favorites, and what aspects would you focus on to best meet our requirements?
Best regards,
Malte
Thank you all for your numerous responses. We have already gathered many pros and cons for each plot of land and will continue to consider them over the next few days. The application deadline is this Friday, and it will probably take some time before marketing discussions begin. One nice aspect is that the process can be followed almost “live,” as every reservation for a plot is immediately visible online. This way, we can check off some plots step by step before we hopefully have a choice in the end.
Regarding the E/D matter, the inquiry is still ongoing. The responsible colleague is currently on Easter vacation.
Regarding the E/D matter, the inquiry is still ongoing. The responsible colleague is currently on Easter vacation.
11ant schrieb:
The development plan takes precedence over the sales brochure here). And the design framework extends the development plan.
-Malte- schrieb:
The application deadline is this Friday, and then it will probably take some time before the marketing discussions begin. What’s really nice is that you can follow the whole process almost "live," since every reservation for a plot is immediately visible online. So, we can already "check off" some plots step by step, before we hopefully have a choice in the end. Then go ahead and post a screenshot of the current status on Friday!
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Hello everyone,
A few weeks have passed, and the application deadline has now closed. In total, there were 229 applications for the 28 advertised plots. The exact ranking in the allocation process is not disclosed; we are somewhere—probably in the upper range—of the second allocation group. The first group includes 11 applications, and the second group, which includes us, has 44 applications. The list is now being processed step by step, and once it’s your turn, you can choose from all the still available plots.
We remain optimistic and check daily how the reservations are being made one by one. So far, three plots have been reserved.
Best regards,
Malte
A few weeks have passed, and the application deadline has now closed. In total, there were 229 applications for the 28 advertised plots. The exact ranking in the allocation process is not disclosed; we are somewhere—probably in the upper range—of the second allocation group. The first group includes 11 applications, and the second group, which includes us, has 44 applications. The list is now being processed step by step, and once it’s your turn, you can choose from all the still available plots.
We remain optimistic and check daily how the reservations are being made one by one. So far, three plots have been reserved.
Best regards,
Malte
-Malte- schrieb:
We remain optimistic and are monitoring the reservations as they gradually come in. So far, three plots have been reserved. So? How does it look? Has there been any progress yet?
In the meantime, we received very positive news: We now know that we are ranked 25th out of 229 applicants. Since there are 28 available plots, we will definitely be successful. We also know that several applicants ahead of us ultimately did not reserve anything. Currently, 7 plots are reserved, so it will probably take another 2-3 weeks before it’s our turn. It will be interesting to see whether there will still be a detached house plot left for us or if it will come down to a semi-detached house.
So, it’s time to look more closely at the buildability. We would prefer to build a house with a pitched roof, since we don’t really like flat-roofed houses either aesthetically or because of the lack of storage space under the roof. If we could choose freely, we would build a classic gable roof house – which is quite common in this region – with a steep pitch (over 40%). However, the zoning plan (available under “Bebauungsplan 8-23 Bocholt Loikumer Weg” via Google) imposes the following restrictions:
As a family of four (ages 38, 35, 5, 2), we want to build a detached house (~150-160m² (1,615-1,722 ft²) preferably with a pitched roof) including a carport/garage. The plot is perfectly flat and has a very high groundwater level – we would like to avoid a basement if possible but would need to create storage space elsewhere. The house should ultimately include two children’s bedrooms, a home office used regularly, and otherwise a standard family room layout.
Since we want to avoid a flat roof, I initially considered a shed roof in accordance with the zoning plan. This would probably work, since my understanding is that the eave height only needs to be respected on one side of the shed roof. However, with a roof pitch of at least 22°, this results in a very massive building component on the side with the high wall. On the plus side, this would create a reasonably usable attic. I find it hard to picture this in practice, as houses like this hardly exist here (standard floor plans especially not). Whether a staggered shed roof instead of a classic shed roof is possible was unclear – the building authority would have to examine this based on a design (I once briefly discussed the definition of a shed roof in a separate thread).
I was also informed that the zoning plan only restricts roof forms above the second full storey. With only one full storey (in NRW, 2.3m (2.3m (7.5 feet)) height over at least 3/4 of the floor area), any roof structure should in principle be allowed. Therefore, a “classic gable roof house” should be feasible after all. Something around 4m (4m (13 feet)) eave height and 45% roof pitch, so that the upper floor is not considered a full storey due to the slopes and an attic with usable space can be created. The ban on dormers unfortunately means a nice bay window wouldn’t be possible.
As a third option, a rather less desired flat-roofed house with 2 full storeys would also be possible. Storage space would then have to be created through a larger footprint or a stepped storey.
Am I overlooking any other sensible options? Is there a general idea about cost differences between these options? What would you experienced planners consider to be the most sensible approach? Ultimately, we plan to consult an architect, but it would be nice to get some initial ideas beforehand.
Best regards
Malte
So, it’s time to look more closely at the buildability. We would prefer to build a house with a pitched roof, since we don’t really like flat-roofed houses either aesthetically or because of the lack of storage space under the roof. If we could choose freely, we would build a classic gable roof house – which is quite common in this region – with a steep pitch (over 40%). However, the zoning plan (available under “Bebauungsplan 8-23 Bocholt Loikumer Weg” via Google) imposes the following restrictions:
- Maximum of 2 full storeys
- Floor area ratio (FAR) 0.4, plot ratio 0.8
- Plinth height max. 0.5m (0.5m (1.6 feet)), eave height max. 6.5m (6.5m (21 feet)), ridge height max. 11.0m (11.0m (36 feet))
- Roof restrictions
- Above the second full storey:
- Flat roof or shed roof with a pitch between 22° and 30°.
- Alternatively, stepped storeys with flat roof or shallow-pitched roof up to 16°.
- Garages, carports, and ancillary structures only with flat roofs.
- Dormers, roof structures, and loggias are not allowed.
- Green roofs are mandatory on all flat roofs.
As a family of four (ages 38, 35, 5, 2), we want to build a detached house (~150-160m² (1,615-1,722 ft²) preferably with a pitched roof) including a carport/garage. The plot is perfectly flat and has a very high groundwater level – we would like to avoid a basement if possible but would need to create storage space elsewhere. The house should ultimately include two children’s bedrooms, a home office used regularly, and otherwise a standard family room layout.
Since we want to avoid a flat roof, I initially considered a shed roof in accordance with the zoning plan. This would probably work, since my understanding is that the eave height only needs to be respected on one side of the shed roof. However, with a roof pitch of at least 22°, this results in a very massive building component on the side with the high wall. On the plus side, this would create a reasonably usable attic. I find it hard to picture this in practice, as houses like this hardly exist here (standard floor plans especially not). Whether a staggered shed roof instead of a classic shed roof is possible was unclear – the building authority would have to examine this based on a design (I once briefly discussed the definition of a shed roof in a separate thread).
I was also informed that the zoning plan only restricts roof forms above the second full storey. With only one full storey (in NRW, 2.3m (2.3m (7.5 feet)) height over at least 3/4 of the floor area), any roof structure should in principle be allowed. Therefore, a “classic gable roof house” should be feasible after all. Something around 4m (4m (13 feet)) eave height and 45% roof pitch, so that the upper floor is not considered a full storey due to the slopes and an attic with usable space can be created. The ban on dormers unfortunately means a nice bay window wouldn’t be possible.
As a third option, a rather less desired flat-roofed house with 2 full storeys would also be possible. Storage space would then have to be created through a larger footprint or a stepped storey.
Am I overlooking any other sensible options? Is there a general idea about cost differences between these options? What would you experienced planners consider to be the most sensible approach? Ultimately, we plan to consult an architect, but it would be nice to get some initial ideas beforehand.
Best regards
Malte
Similar topics