Instone acquires 15-hectare Düsseldorf site for urban district

German developer Instone Real Estate has acquired a roughly 15-hectare former industrial site in Düsseldorf-Benrath to transform it into a sustainable urban district. 

Düsseldorf-Benrath

The project, based on a 2017 urban planning competition design, will include 800-1,000 apartments, social infrastructure, and commercial and office spaces, all complemented by extensive green areas.
The 150,000 m2 site, previously owned by Finnish company Outokumpu (and before that, Thyssen-Krupp-Nirosta), ceased steel manufacturing operations in 2016. 
Instone plans to finalise the master plan next year in collaboration with local authorities and the public. Demolition and soil remediation are scheduled to begin in 2027 due to the site's industrial past.
Anna Rzymelka, branch manager for North Rhine-Westphalia at Instone Real Estate Development GmbH: "We see enormous potential in this location in the south of Düsseldorf, both for the immediate neighbourhood and for the Benrath district and the neighbouring districts. Our goal is to work with the state capital of Düsseldorf to set the course by the beginning of next year to selectively develop the brownfield site and create new living spaces.”
Stephan Keller, Lord Mayor of the state capital Düsseldorf: "The development of the area south of Hildener Straße into a modern, sustainable urban quarter is an important step for our housing initiative. With up to 1,000 new apartments, the ‘Benrather Gärten’ will provide urgently needed living space and at the same time transform an industrial area into a liveable part of our city."
Instone already has several projects completed or underway in Düsseldorf's urban development. In Flingern-Nord, they are building 382 sustainable apartments and a daycare centre in the Grafental Ost district. They also finished the Wohnen im Hochfeld residential area in Unterbach, which features approximately 360 diverse homes and supporting infrastructure. Additionally, 221 apartments and a daycare centre have been completed on Niederkasseler Lohweg.