ᐅ Preliminary Building Inquiry – Which Documents Are Required?

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are planning to purchase a plot of land in the Gummersbach district. However, before buying, we would like to clarify whether our building project is feasible on this site. We intend to build a townhouse (170 m² (1830 sq ft)). The plot size is 1025 m² (11041 sq ft). The floor area ratio and plot ratio should not be exceeded by this.

The following information about the plot was provided by the local authority.
Development plan 1 and 1a: general residential area, two-story, open construction method, floor area ratio: 0.4, plot ratio: 0.7

Quote from an email with the responsible official
"Development plans 1 and 1a specify mandatory two-story buildings.
Only the remaining buildable areas are regulated by Section 34 of the Building Code."

Neighboring buildings consist of a townhouse, single-family homes with pitched roofs, and multi-family buildings.

We would now like to submit a preliminary building inquiry.

Which documents must be included?
What should these documents contain?
Do I need to hire an architect, or are rough sketches sufficient?
Is an informal request enough?
How long does the processing time take?
What are the costs involved?

Thank you in advance

D.Gerner

And why exactly do you want to submit a preliminary building inquiry now?

With the few parameters you have provided and a legally binding development plan, everything should actually be settled. Or is there something additional you forgot to mention?

As I understand it, BP1 and 1a only specify the two-story building style. They do not set building boundaries or anything similar. Our townhouse will have a hip roof with a pitch of 22° (22°). The neighboring townhouse has a 45° (45°) pitch (terrible). Would I then be allowed to position the house anywhere on the plot as long as the legal 3 m (10 feet) setback is observed?

Do you have the zoning plan? If not, have the city provide it to you. It may also include information about the roof pitch.

Otherwise, as long as nothing else is specified in the zoning plan, in my opinion, you could build it that way.

I sent an email to the city asking whether there is a legally binding development plan with building boundaries and other regulations. I am looking forward to their response.
I researched online and many people suggested that you should submit a building inquiry before purchasing the land to avoid surprises later on.

Hello,

D.Gerner schrieb:

We would like to build a city villa (170m² (1,829 sq ft)). The plot has an area of 1025m² (11,030 sq ft). The site coverage ratio and floor area ratio should not be exceeded.

I received the following information from the city regarding the plot:
Development plan 1 and 1a: general residential area, two-story, open type of construction, site coverage ratio: 0.4, floor area ratio: 0.7

The site coverage ratio indicates how many square meters of ground coverage are allowed per square meter of plot area, so in your case 40% of the plot area = 410 m² (4,413 sq ft). The floor area ratio specifies how many square meters of floor area can be built per square meter of plot area. Here, 70% of the plot area = 717.5 m² (7,720 sq ft).

D.Gerner schrieb:

Quote from an email with the responsible official
"The development plan 1 and 1a mandates a strict two-story construction.
Only the remaining buildable areas are governed by § 34 Baugesetzbuch."

The neighboring buildings consist of a city villa, detached houses with pitched roofs, and multi-family houses. Our city villa should have a hipped roof with a roof pitch of 22° (22 degrees). The neighboring city villa has 45° (45 degrees) (terrible).

So where exactly is the problem? § 34 basically means that your building project must conform to the surrounding development. You already know you are allowed to build a city villa. If the surrounding area features only city villas, detached houses or bungalows with a generally steeper roof pitch than 22°, you probably will not get permission for that. I cannot recall the staff at the planning department being so inflexible that they would not assist within their means. Therefore, you should take the statements from the local building authority with some caution.

D.Gerner schrieb:

Would I then be allowed to place the house anywhere on the plot as long as the legal 3 m (10 feet) setback is observed?

Hardly. You will need to align your building project with the building lines of the surrounding constructions.

D.Gerner schrieb:

I sent an email to the city asking whether there is a legally binding development plan with building boundaries and other restrictions. I am looking forward to their response.

You should go there in person! You want something from them, after all ...?

D.Gerner schrieb:

I researched online and many people advised that one should submit a building inquiry before purchasing the plot to avoid later surprises.

Yes, yes ... the well-meaning people in the known forums...

For your plot, the parameters are so clearly defined! In my opinion, the money for a building inquiry—which, if I remember correctly, only counts 50% towards the later building permit application—is not necessary. Instead, choose an architect or planner you trust and have them develop a draft. Once you have the plans including elevations, go personally (or have your architect or the seller go) to the planning office consultation hours, and then see what might still need to be changed.

Edit:

** replaced "well-meaning people"; I should not write when I am annoyed. Sorry, oops:

Best regards, Bauexperte