One of Poland’s largest cities unveiled its plans for a new district at the world’s largest property fair
Poznań – the perfect place to invest in
At MIPIM Poznań showcased two highly attractive real estate investment opportunities. The Wolne Tory site in the city centre is to become a new district, while the former industrial Elektrociepłownia site is ripe for redevelopment.
In the words of Bartosz Guss, a deputy mayor of Poznań, Wolne Tory is “about 100 ha that can be developed and transformed into modern, multifunctional urban space. The property was formerly part of a railway station. Now, in this same location, the city of Poznań is planning to create a new green district of the city.” This former railway land that lies between the city’s Wilda and Łazarz districts has immediate access to the city’s railways. Considering this, it came as no surprise that when the city chose to launch the project at MIPIM – the most prestigious trade fair for the real estate sector, which took place in Cannes in March – it generated considerable enthusiasm among potential investors. The city also showcased the site of Elektrociepłownia Garbary [the former Garbary Heat and Power Plant], which is a 10 ha property on the banks of the river Warta. Many of the original buildings from the 1920s still remain on the 10 ha site.
The plans for the transformation of Wolne Tory were presented by Łukasz Mikuła, the chairman of Poznań’s spatial policy commission. “At MIPIM, we presented Wolne Tory, which is one of the most interesting investment areas in Poland, to an international audience. This is a strategic area for Poznań, in the very centre of the city. We plan to build a new green district. The MIPIM fair was the ideal event to promote Wolne Tory, because it brings together the largest investors from around the world. And the project did attract their attention with its new urban concept, which was detailed in a very interesting way,” stated deputy mayor Bartosz Guss. The plans for the district are currently for the northern section to be dominated by retail and services, with the southern part earmarked predominantly for residential development. A new tram line is also planned through the district. But that was not all that the city of Poznań has to offer. Sites at Unia Lubelska and Nowe Jeżyce are also ready for redevelopment. “We also presented real estate that would be suitable for office, service, residential, hotel or leisure projects – and this was met with great interest too. The MIPIM fair lasts a few days and is dedicated to real estate and there are many opportunities to meet decision-makers. We’ve come back from the fair with the feeling that we’ve used this time well,” remarked Katja Lożina, the director of Poznań’s investor relations department, in her summary of the fair.
MIPIM is an event that is not just worth attending, but a must. So we are sure to see the city there once again on the Côte d’Azur on March 10th–13th, 2020.
