Battle for City Borders: Tczew Seeks Expansion Amidst Municipal Opposition

A dispute is unfolding over the administrative borders of Tczew, Poland, as the city seeks to annex nearly 1,866 hectares from the surrounding Tczew municipality. City officials argue that the current boundaries, unchanged for over half a century, no longer reflect contemporary needs and are hindering development.

Łukasz Brządkowski from the Tczew City Hall stated that the city has utilized virtually all available land for housing, economic activities, public services, and essential infrastructure. He explained that the proposed expansion is necessary for new housing, business investments, roads, communal infrastructure, public facilities, and transportation development. Brządkowski added that widening the borders would also help streamline spatial planning, as the current border is often dysfunctional, cutting through roads, residential areas, investment zones, and even economically linked areas.

City authorities emphasize that Tczew is one of the most densely populated cities in northern Poland, making further development increasingly difficult without new territories. They acknowledge that the issue of limited development land may resurface in the future.

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Tczew's borders have not changed for over half a century and no longer correspond to today's conditions. The city has utilized virtually all available development land – both for housing and for economic activity, public services, and necessary infrastructure.

Conversely, the Tczew municipality firmly opposes the proposed changes. Aleksandra Jahn, head of the Administrative Department at the Municipal Office, stated that the municipality consistently rejects the border alteration, arguing it would lead to the squandering of public funds allocated for ongoing investments like a new kindergarten and school expansion, which would lose their purpose if the territory is transferred.

The municipality contends that annexing the land would result in revenue loss, jeopardize investments in schools and kindergartens, disrupt public transportation, and stifle the municipality's own development. Public consultations revealed that over 96% of participants opposed the border changes. The municipality also accuses the city authorities of a flawed approach to the issue.

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The Tczew municipality does not agree to the change of borders, as it leads to the waste of public funds intended for the implementation of ongoing investments, which will lose their meaning after the border change. This concerns the construction of a kindergarten and the expansion and renovation of a school.