06.2023 | Press release
The Diocese of Limburg is defying the shortage of skilled workers in the daycare sector and investing 24 million euros in the new Ketteler-La Roche College building in Oberursel, nr. Frankfurt. The state-recognized, private vocational college for social work run by the Diocese of Limburg’s St. Hildegard School Society will be realized as the first construction phase in Oberursel’s new NEUMÜHLE residential and commercial quarter. The relevant contract has been concluded by the Diocese of Limburg and project developer Pecan Development.
“The new construction and relocation of the Ketteler-La Roche College is an important building block in the planning of the site. Our goal is to combine different forms of living and working, and the education center will find just the right infrastructure within the NEUMÜHLE residential and commercial district,” explains Markus Brod, Managing Director of Pecan Development GmbH.
The Diocese of Limburg is likewise pleased that an ideal location has been found for the vocational college’s new building. “With the new building in the Neumühle district, we can continue to build on good traditions in education in Oberursel and offer prospects for our students,” says Dr. Ralf Stammberger, Head of Pastoral and Education in the Limburg diocese. The church-supported private vocational college has been located in the town for more than 70 years now and provides training in the field of educational and social support, as well as further training opportunities in social-teaching professions. The new build will feature modern classrooms and seminar rooms, a bistro, an auditorium, and office space for the school administration. About 400 student places will be offered within the 4,000 square meters, on top of which, the childcare center also planned for the neighborhood will create opportunities to combine theory and practice in education. The building design is based on the guidelines of the Diocese of Limburg for resource-saving construction and will be realized as a BEG 40 building (federal subsidy for efficient buildings), with construction scheduled to begin in late 2023.
“The diocese made a conscious decision to take over the school and build a new building. As a Catholic church, we are a provider of childcare facilities and a partner to social and charitable institutions, so kindergartens in particular are in our eyes an important topic going forwards, and we want in this way to continue to fulfill our educational mission with well-qualified professionals,” Stammberger emphasizes. In order to be able to realize the project financially, the diocese will have to sell the site on Altenhöferweg, where the old school building stands. “We are holding positive discussions here with the Oberursel authorities,” explains Thomas Frings, economic planner for the Limburg diocese.
On an area of around 30,000 m², Pecan Development is developing the NEUMÜHLE quarter for housing, working, living, and learning – with apartment buildings, residential plots, office and commercial spaces, and a vocational school. Back in November 2022, the extensive upgrading of the site was completed and the development measures for the initial phase of construction were finished, so the preconditions have been met for the forthcoming building construction.