Mealbus project in Dornumersiel: Taxpayers criticize failure!

Mealbus project in Dornumersiel: Taxpayers criticize failure!

Dornumersiel, Deutschland - The ambitious Mahlbusen-Projekt in Dornumersiel, which should create an indoor port and various tourist facilities on the East Frisian North Sea coast, has failed. After 15 years of development, the municipality of Dornum and Tourismus GmbH have given up their project. In February 2023, the municipality decided not to continue the project. The reasons for this failure are diverse and are related to nature conservation hurdles and financial questions.

The federal government of Lower Saxony and Bremen's taxpayers critically viewed the project. According to a report by NWZ online how much money as a whole flowed into the development of the indoor port. A total of 270,000 euros were provided by the end of the project, with 125,000 euros flowing as funding. Experts determine that the total costs of the project amount to a little more than 500,000 euros, which also include reports and studies.

financial aspects and support

For the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, the municipality of Dornum hired 230,000 euros in the budget for the Mahlbusen project development company mbH (mpeg). The MPEG, which has existed since 2020 and was financed by the municipality and Tourismus GmbH, focused on the planning and implementation of the project. Frank-Peter Nowak, Managing Director of MPEG, confirmed that 140,800 euros were spent on the concept, legal feasibility study and a bird report. Despite these expenses, the exact sum of the previous expenditure remains unclear.

Outstanding for the project was the desired creation of a covered experience that was to offer space for 2-3 fishing cutters. The planned port should not only serve as a sales point for fresh fish and crabs, but also act as an event location for cultural events. In addition to the indoor harbor, a 4-star hotel with 100 rooms and a wellness system were planned. An apartment house with around 30 apartments and a marina with 50 boat berths should round off the offer.

nature and environmental protection

The planned area for the indoor harbor is located in the EU bird protection area, which required additional nature conservation reports. The sale of the necessary property on the Binnensee was rejected by the Ministry of Agriculture, which is considered crucial for the final failure of the project. The municipal council assessed the situation in February 2023 and was decided not to continue the project.

The federal government's federal government is pursuing the matter exactly and has already made an inquiry to the municipality in order to get an insight into the feasibility study. So far, however, no feedback has been given. The failure of the project raises questions about the efficient use of funds, even if so far it has not yet been spoken of a full waste of funds as long as the reports for the decision of the Ministry of Agriculture were decisive.