Ready for new construction: Celebratory kickoff for the Panattoni Park Cologne II

An important milestone in the progress of the construction of the new Panattoni Park Cologne II has been reached: The project developer Panattoni Germany rang in the conversion of the former Ford site in Cologne-Niehl with a successful demolition party. After dismantling the building, a modern logistics and industrial property with around 35,000 m² of usable surface area will be built in the coming months.

The site, which measures 62,000 m² on the banks of the Rhine, was used for decades by the Ford factories to manufacture prototypes. Now, the Panattoni Park Cologne II will be erected there. The completion of the logistics and industrial property is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2025. The transformation on-site has started,” says Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner at Panattoni Germany and Austria. “The demolition of the old building marks an important step towards the future. In the next few months, the industrial wasteland will become a modern and sustainable logistics node.”

The demolition party drew numerous guests, including Dr. Manfred Janssen, Managing Director of KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderung [Cologne Business Development]. Anja Moses, Head of Leasing at Panattoni Germany, greeted the attendees and presented the company’s ambitious plans for the site. Dr. Janssen referred to the future perspectives of Cologne as an economic centre and highlighted the strategic significance of the new Panattoni Park for the industrial development in the Niehl district of Cologne. “Cologne is one of the leading logistics centres in Germany. As a result of its central and well-connected location in Europe, the city is particularly attractive for international trade,” says the Managing Director of KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderung. “Panattoni is using this potential for several projects in our metropolitan region and is adding to it with a high-quality logistics offer. The Panattoni Park Cologne II with its location in a multimodal area creates space for companies that want to grow and thus reinforces the economic centre as a whole.”

After the official announcements, the social get-together began. With snacks, a DJ set and freshly tapped Kölsch beer served by traditional Rhine Köbes waitstaff, the guests gathered in a relaxed atmosphere. One particular highlight was that people could drive tractors themselves and thus symbolically kick off the re-design of the site.

Panattoni Germany is pursuing a comprehensive green building concept for this project. Numerous sustainability measures will be implemented in order to ensure an optimised environmental and low CO₂ footprint. The new Panattoni Park Cologne II will therefore not only stand out as a result of its modern architecture and functionality, but also due to its sustainable design. One of the goals for this project is to obtain the DGNB platinum certification.

The site is located in the immediate vicinity of the Niehl Harbour and is not far from the Cologne city centre which makes it an ideal site for modern logistics and industrial companies. It is also directly connected to the A1 federal motorway. In addition to the 115 passenger vehicle parking spaces and 6 lorry parking spaces, the site will also have more than 90 bicycle spaces in the future. With the construction of the Panattoni Park Cologne II, Panattoni is setting a powerful example with regard to the sustainable development and economic future of the northern districts of Cologne.

The international real estate consultant CBRE has been commissioned with the marketing of the spaces, which comprise of approximately 35,000 m².