Management Summary

The goal of the annual commercial land monitoring report for the Hannover Region as a business location is to collect, analyze, and evaluate commercial land transactions as well as the supply of available and planned commercial and industrial land.

The monitoring is conducted in close cooperation with the cities and municipalities of the Hannover Region.

In addition to ongoing collaboration in the area of business location management, “Guidelines for Commercial Land Development”—intended as a framework for medium-term regional land development—are also developed at regular intervals in conjunction with regional planning authorities and local governments.

Only through joint, municipally coordinated land development can a market-driven supply of land be mobilized in the long term. The land shortages that have intensified in recent years make it clear that even more attention must be paid to the use of brownfield sites and infill development potential.

To this end, the Regional Assembly already adopted a Regional Commercial Land Investment Program (REGIP) in 2019. The goal of REGIP is not only to support municipalities in the planning and development of additional commercial land but, above all, to promote sustainable land development and the revitalization of brownfields.

Laatzen recorded the highest land turnover at 9.1 ha, followed by Uetze (5.7 ha), the state capital Hanover (4.3 ha), and Garbsen (3.0 ha). The municipalities with the most sales were the state capital Hanover with ten transactions, followed by Wedemark with four, and Laatzen, Neustadt, Springe, and Uetze with three each. In 2025, the majority of land sales by size category —just under 71%—were for plots up to 5,000 square meters, slightly below the long-term average of 75%.

The average price of all sold properties in 2025 was €111 per square meter (previous year: €171 per square meter). While average prices per square meter fell by 44% in the state capital of Hanover and by 50% in the immediate surrounding area compared to the previous year, prices for commercial space in the outer region remained unchanged.

When examining space inquiries broken down by use categories, logistics, freight forwarders, and trucking companies took first place with just under 11% of all inquiries, followed by industry and manufacturing at 10%. Hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues, as well as business-related services, each account for 9.0%, while skilled trades, (automotive) repair shops and gas stations, the construction industry, and the real estate sector each account for around 8.0% of demand.

© Olaf Mahlstedt

The supply of commercial space in B- and F-plan zones (as of April 2025) has increased to 682 ha compared to the previous year (651 ha). However, the supply has decreased by 12% over the past ten years. In terms of readiness for marketing, the supply is broken down as follows:

• 75 ha of immediately marketable land with approved development plans (developed, mostly municipally owned),
• 143 ha of B-Plan sites available for future marketing (undeveloped and/or privately owned),
• 463 ha of land designated for future development (without a legally binding zoning plan).

In terms of potential uses, industrial sites (GI sites) are of particular interest to project development and logistics companies due to their suitability for three-shift or night operations. The potential area of GI sites in F and B plans, excluding brownfield sites, is 42 ha (previous year: 43 ha).

In the Hanover region, there are currently 13 larger properties (totaling 82 ha) that can be classified as potentially reusable commercial brownfields. A good half of these brownfield sites are located in the state capital, Hanover. Reasons for the current vacancy include contaminated sites and/or existing structures that make reuse difficult.

In addition to the currently planned new designations of commercial land with approved B-plans or F-plans, municipalities are discussing prospective sites totaling approximately 483 ha.

Based on commercial land turnover over the past ten years, the projected supply of commercial land in the B-Plan areas was calculated in years. In 13 (previous year: 14) of the 21 municipalities, the supply of land falls below the critical five-year threshold—the average time required for the planning and development of new F-Plan or prospective areas. 

Hemmingen, Seelze, Wennigsen, and Wunstorf currently have no commercial land supply with a legally binding zoning plan.

Guidelines for Commercial Land Development

The Hannover Region, in collaboration with the cities and municipalities, has developed the following guidelines for commercial land development:

• Ensuring a supply of commercial land for all municipalities with a projected supply of at least five years to meet basic needs,
• Mobilizing additional commercial land in the key employment centers identified in the Regional Spatial Planning Program (RROP),
• Creation of key locations for large-scale industrial, manufacturing, and logistics facilities of sufficient scale for supraregional marketing at sites near highways,
• Mobilizing underutilized infill development areas within existing commercial zones,
• Revitalization of brownfield sites to limit the consumption of open space,
• Higher environmental standards for the construction of business parks within the municipality’s sphere of influence.

To implement these guidelines, the Hannover Region adopted , among other measures, the Regional Commercial Land Investment Program (REGIP) in 2019 to provide financial support to municipalities for development projects of regional significance.

The goal is, in particular, to implement measures for the revitalization of brownfield sites or redevelopment measures in existing commercial areas. Eligibility requirements include sustainability criteria and minimum standards for urban planning, such as stormwater management and soil protection, urban climate and biodiversity, energy supply from renewable sources, and sustainable mobility. 

© Olaf Mahlstedt