In a third phase of development of the ‘Erfurter Kreuz’, already the largest industrial estate in Thuringia, a further 100 hectares is being developed. As contiguous sections of this size are becoming harder to find in Germany and therefore much in demand, the Corporation will not be dividing the land into small sections. Work is also under way at ‘Kiebitzhöhe’ industrial estate in Kölleda, where a further 57 hectares will soon be available for all the companies that wish to be ‘on the ground’ close to Daimler subsidiary MDC Power. And Gera, too, is creating physical space for new investment by developing an estate named ‘Cretzschwitz’ in anticipation of new businesses moving in. “Gera needs to broaden the horizons of its economic development. We believe developing this land will give industry in the whole region a real boost,” said Thuringia’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Wolfgang Tiefensee, when he handed over the decision on funding to the city late last year. The first stage will be to develop approximately 42 hectares for which priority will be given to businesses that require up to 8 hectares of land. (gro)