Suderwick town centre development

The idea for the changes in Suderwick - in addition to Suderwick's ageing pipes, which need to be replaced anyway - was influenced by developments in the neighbouring town of Dinxperlo. Since 2020, the Netherlands has been working on the so-called "Centrumsvisie Dinxperlo" - a plan on how the centre of Dinxperlo can be redesigned (see https://centrumdinxpe rlo.nl/). The municipality of Aalten has worked with planning offices to draw up plans for the village square, the avenue and the Hellweg. Part of the Hellweg is even on the German side and leads directly to Sporker Straße. Dinxperlo and Suderwick will therefore be further upgraded up to the state border through a joint redesign of the Hellweg.

Visitors will be able to cross the Hellweg and the avenue to reach the centre of Dinxperlo directly via attractively designed paths. Hotspots will remind visitors of the past and invite them to linger. In this way, the border will be brought to life to a greater extent than was previously the case. Instead of the current crosses on the carriageway, the entire pavement area south of the border will be redesigned and extended.

Centrumsvisie ends in the area of Hellweg, which runs along the border into Sporker Straße. The OKEK therefore ties in with the plans for the Centrumsvisie for the area shown above.

The OKEK is an initial plan of how the centre of Suderwick could be designed in the future. Sporker Strasse, the village square and part of Wiggerstrasse were considered. Two areas were looked at particularly closely: the village square and the section of Sporker Straße between the village square and Hellweg. The focus was therefore also on the route into the centre of Suderwick.

The OKEK design concept brings together many topics: green spaces, environmental and climate protection, traffic and the design of public spaces and much more. Suderwick is not only to become more beautiful - it is also about improving quality of life and climate resilience.

The design concept was developed by the planning office Wolters Partner Stadtplaner GmbH. Citizens were already able to have their say at this stage - for example during a walk through the town followed by a planning round in September 2024, where interested parties were able to contribute their ideas and opinions(https://www.bocholt.de/neuigkeiten/stadtentwicklung/stadtteil-suderwick-soll-(noch)-schoener-werden). This feedback has already been incorporated into the current draft.

There will be further participations in future planning stages. Citizens will continue to be invited to participate in the planning process and contribute their ideas. It is not yet possible to give a concrete timeline for the planning and participation process.

The village square and Sporker Strasse (as an extension of Hellweg) are therefore to become more attractive and inviting. The design is to be based on the plans for the Netherlands in order to emphasise the special location directly on the border. Some design elements from the Centrumsvisie are also to be adopted for Suderwick: For example, pavement and footpath areas could be given red clinker paving in a row pattern based on the Dinxperlo design. A "long bench" could surround planned green areas on Suderwick's village square and invite people to linger - similar to the ones that have now been created in Dinxperlo, for example around the church. This could create a recognition value in both village centres. At the same time, Suderwick's unique character should of course be preserved.

The canals on Sporker Straße between the village square and Hellweg are outdated and will be renewed - an opportunity to make the area even more attractive.

Further planning steps are now required to ensure that the ideas set out in the OKEK can become a reality. The current OKEK is, for the time being, a preliminary design proposal. It outlines ideas and objectives - for example, through the inclusion of trees, which symbolise more green space. The next step will involve assessing exactly where trees can be planted. The same applies to the car parks: a detailed analysis is needed to determine which parking spaces can be created in future or may need to be removed.

The current OKEK therefore forms the basis on which work will now continue to develop a feasible and concrete plan.

At the start of 2026, nts Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH from Münster was commissioned for this purpose. Initially, the plans for the western section of Sporker Straße, between Hellweg and the junction with Wiggerstraße, as well as for the village square, will be further developed and finalised.

Public participation remains a key part of the process. Consequently, a public information event was held on 10 February 2026 to provide an update on the current status and to gather suggestions.

On this basis, the plans were subsequently refined further. On 24 February 26, the Committee for Planning, Construction and Transport resolved to approve the plans and to apply for funding for both measures from the "Structural and Village Development NRW" programme. The applications were submitted at the beginning of March.

Whilst awaiting the funding bodies' decision, the plans were already being taken forward.

The aim of the village square's redesign is, in particular, to enhance the quality of the space and adapt it to climate change. At the same time, the square is intended to strengthen the village community and provide space for a variety of uses and events.

To ensure the square meets the needs of village life in Suderwick as effectively as possible, local associations were asked to provide feedback on the plans between 20 April 26 and 29 May 26. The feedback will help to ensure that events and uses are taken into account as effectively as possible.

In 2027, following the completion of Hellweg as part of the 'Centrumsvisie' project, the redevelopment will also begin on the Suderwick side: the renewal of Sporker Straße West will commence at the same time as the civil engineering works, followed by the redesign of the village square. In total, the town is investing around 3.2 million euros in the enhancement - ideally supported by funding from the NRW programme "Structural and Village Development".

It is particularly important that the people of Suderwick and the surrounding area are actively involved in this process. The aim is to sustainably develop Suderwick as an attractive place to live and a unique border town.

The positive funding notifications were issued in the summer of 2026. This means that the redevelopment of Sporker Straße West and the village square will be supported by a total grant of €500,000 from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The plans can now be further refined.