Technical map of the administrative district of Düsseldorf, marking Düsseldorf as a location for ordnance investigation and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveys and disposal in Krefeld

Do the planning documents for your Krefeld property contain an ordnance note? Check which area it concerns and what it means for the planned groundworks. FONTANA-EOD helps compare it with existing findings and prepare the commissioned investigations.

Plan reference

Check spatial scope and plan version.

Construction projects

Describe structures and ground interventions precisely.

Scope of evidence

Compare results with current plans.

Discuss planning documentsExplosive ordnance assessment in North Rhine-Westphalia
Assess the construction project

Relate the local planning note to your own project

A note in a development plan is not an investigation of every individual property. For your Krefeld project, we compare the local documents with the planned areas and depths. The note for development plan 780 is used only within its stated boundaries.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map with the North Rhine-Westphalia coat of arms, beside a tablet, safety helmet and notebook.

Limit the Krefeld plan reference spatially

The explanatory statement for development plan 780 lists guidance and recommendations for its area in Section 5.4. It refers to the state explosive ordnance disposal service or Düsseldorf District Government and the responsible public order authority. This specific plan reference remains separate from statements about other properties. Further work considers the authorities responsible for the specific procedure and the documents available. Krefeld is an independent town in the Düsseldorf administrative district in North Rhine-Westphalia. For enquiries from Innenstadt, Uerdingen, Linn, Bockum, Oppum, Fischeln, Hüls, Verberg or Traar, provide the specific project location. For Duisburg, Kempen, Viersen, Meerbusch, Neuss, Mönchengladbach and other Lower Rhine locations, the respective municipality is responsible. The state explosive ordnance disposal service at the Düsseldorf District Government covers the Düsseldorf and Cologne administrative districts; local hazard response lies with the responsible public order authority.

North Rhine-Westphalia
Local context

Ordnance notes in Krefeld planning documents

Specific note in development plan 780

The Krefeld documents for development plan No. 780 in the meeting papers dated 12 June 2025 contain a separate section on ordnance. It addresses investigation of the area to be built on and additional requirements for certain specialist foundation works. These notes concern the specific planning area; they do not establish a general ordnance contamination status for Krefeld.

In Section 5.4, the explanatory statement identifies historical indications of bombing throughout the planning area and recommends investigation of the area to be built on. For certain specialist foundation works, it recommends downhole detection with reference to the Düsseldorf guidance. For your project, these notes are read together with the applicable plan version and official information.

From the planning area to the actual ground intervention

For another property, its own relevant documents are decisive. Even within the planning area, check which finding concerns your project. Describe groundworks for buildings, foundations or a utility crossing. Intended use alone establishes neither suspected ordnance nor the choice of a particular investigation method.

The municipal cultural and historical analysis describes the air raid on the town centre on the night of 21 to 22 June 1943. For today's properties, historical findings and later changes are assigned spatially. For former textile, metalworking or chemical works, densely built residential areas, railway, shunting and Rhine riverfront areas, ports, storage or former military sites, document review includes evidenced uses, reconstruction, restructuring and ground movements. For retaining structures, describe the volume of ground actually affected, including working areas. Use history alone establishes neither a find nor the investigation needs of a particular property.

Working together

Allocate tasks within the construction project

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the available project documents. The operator adds requirements relating to use, access and scheduling. The participants agree their respective tasks and decision-making responsibilities. A coordinating contact person brings the project information together. Before an appointment, it is recorded clearly which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the result is intended to support.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist company carries out the agreed permissible investigation and documentation scope. Authority requirements and decisions are clarified with the respective competent bodies. The documents needed for a specific procedure depend on the site and project. The technical report documents the specialist service performed, including areas, depths and limits of its conclusions. Its applicability to further groundworks is checked against the specific intervention.

The local public order authority is responsible for hazard response at the project location. In Krefeld, it works with the state explosive ordnance disposal service at the Düsseldorf District Government. The prerequisites for permissible private specialist work are clarified with the responsible authorities before commissioning. Official decisions and acute hazard response measures remain with these bodies.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Distinguish a planning note from an existing finding

The Krefeld note identifies a reason for further consideration within a specific planning area. It does not identify an object on every individual property. Findings available for your project are checked using the complete official and technical documents. Repeating a note does not turn it into evidence of an investigation performed.

Assess historical documents

Derive the method from the construction task

Planned ground interventions, the authorities' state of knowledge and actual conditions are decisive. Guidance for particular foundation engineering tasks is not interpreted as a blanket method requirement for every construction project. Before a private commission, clarify the relevant North Rhine-Westphalia prerequisites. A technically suitable method alone does not establish a permissible commission.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Link the planning basis and construction traceably

Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Establish the correct area of applicability

First check whether the planning note cited actually covers the area concerned. Being in the same town is not sufficient. Record the plan title, version and spatial boundary together. A statement for the Neuer Weg and Geldernsche Straße area is not transferred to other Krefeld properties.

For an enquiry, the complete plan drawing and the explanatory statement actually used are more helpful than a cropped note without a location reference. Mark the planned construction section on the same site plan and identify any access route or utility connection extending beyond its boundary. An area outside the planning boundary may also form part of the construction task. Its own findings and responsible authorities are established. This keeps clear which parts the municipal note concerns and where a different starting point needs clarification.

Document findings and their limitations
Illustration: two people with a tablet beside a drawing table and a survey trolley on a construction site.

Move from the property to the individual structure

Construction plans describe the areas and depths actually affected. Foundations, shafts and utility trenches may require different scopes of findings. Compare these ground interventions with the reports available. A general planning note replaces neither this assignment nor evidence of an investigation performed for the specific project.

Alongside the eventual building, consider the space needed for its construction. An excavation with slopes or retaining structures affects different volumes of ground from the completed footprint. Shafts, site access routes and connections to existing utilities may also be needed. Describe only the work actually planned and distinguish settled structures from outstanding options. Specialist planners can then assess which earlier results cover this volume and what additional task can be offered at all. Changes to foundations are agreed with the designers responsible.

Specialist services and investigation tasks
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Identify changes between planning and construction

Relocated excavations or changed foundations may lie outside areas previously considered. Compare the new plan version with existing results before construction. An unchanged property number does not evidence an unchanged construction task. Outstanding areas and depths remain explicitly identified until the work needed for them is clarified.

For a new plan version, state which earlier design it replaces and which ground interventions have been removed or added. A utility moved by a few metres may affect a different strip of ground while the rest of the construction section remains unchanged. Mark the change with its location, depth and reference elevation. The comparison can then address the changed task specifically. Existing evidence continues to be used in full wherever its documented scope fits. Necessary supplementary work is decided before the affected ground intervention and the agreed commission is adjusted.

Coordinate the sequence and tasks
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Historical preliminary assessment, technical investigation and specialist work during construction answer different project questions. The permissible private activity under the specific North Rhine-Westphalia procedure is clarified with the information objective and necessary authority involvement before an agreement.

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First establish which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, an investigation of a specific area or examination of an anomaly that has already been assessed? These tasks require different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore specifies the groundworks, location, depth and available findings. Suitable specialist work and the required reporting are then agreed on that basis.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

The scope of private specialist work is agreed using the project documents, actual execution conditions and permissible activity. Necessary preparatory works, investigation, evaluation and documentation are described transparently. Costs and dates are related to these prerequisites and the required coordination. Changes to the construction plans are checked against the agreed contract before work is extended.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Compare the planning area, property and structures

01

Area covered by the plan

Read the plan drawing, explanatory statement and associated notes with their respective revisions. The spatial boundary identifies the area for which the documents were prepared. It must not be equated with an area already technically investigated; actual investigation evidence is needed for that.

02

Property and existing analysis

Assign cadastral plots and location descriptions to the accompanying maps. An existing aerial photograph analysis may describe a different area from the current design. Check which information applies to your project and which parts still lack documents.

03

Structure and ground intervention

Mark excavations, foundation elements and utility connections with the necessary depth reference. This allows a check of whether a report covers the planned work at all. A neighbouring investigation does not automatically evidence the volume of ground into which a pile or retaining element is to be installed.

04

Change after the first investigation

If the building moves or foundation design changes, compare the new location and depth with the investigated area. The earlier report still applies only within its documented scope. For newly added areas, clarify what supplementary investigation is needed.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Bring land-use planning and specialist planning together

Planning documents provide a local starting point; specialist plans describe the specific ground intervention. Both levels are brought together during project preparation. Keep the applicable versions and annexes. A brief restatement of a planning note alone identifies neither the later investigation scope nor its result.

For the service description, identify specialist tasks separately: review of existing findings, supplementary historical work where needed, field investigation, interpretation and result documents. State which parts have already been addressed through state services or earlier private services. Each finding used includes its maps and limitations. A quotation can then concern the investigation volume still unresolved. Method selection, access and necessary preparation are described explicitly; responsibility for official decisions remains with the competent authorities. Contract changes are agreed with the respective client.

Pass on the report with the construction plan

Site management needs a traceable assignment of existing results. Maps, depth references and limitations are therefore handed over together. A general note on a construction plan does not replace the complete technical report. Changes from its underlying basis are made clear and assessed by specialists before the affected work.

Where several contractors or successive construction sections are involved, a clearly identified version is handed over as the basis. The report and annexes should use the same areas, point numbers and elevation references. If older results are cited, provide them and distinguish them from newly obtained data. Clarify a missing annex or unclear plan boundary specifically before use. The next contractor also receives the documented status of outstanding tasks. After clearance work, the clearance record with its scope, results and remaining limits is assigned to the section actually treated and associated plan version. This allows the contractor's own commission to follow on from the previous work without assuming more extensive evidence.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Before finalising the construction plans

Compile the locally relevant planning documents and existing results. Show which structures and depths are planned. Missing property documents or unclear boundaries become apparent early. Further work follows the specific project, rather than being inferred solely from the development plan's name.

In an early design phase, several foundation or utility options may remain open. State which option is to form the investigation basis and which areas remain undefined for now. For a later connection outside the building, show the planned volume of ground separately. Unknown depths or missing elevation information are identified as outstanding planning data. Evidence initially commissioned only for the excavation is therefore not treated as investigation of all possible external works.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Before a later extension

Compare the additional area and depth with the basis of earlier investigations. A neighbouring area or one with the same use may fall outside the documented scope. The extended work is assessed by specialists before construction. Older reports are retained, but their limits are not removed by the new plans.

Coordinate the construction phase with us
Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific investigation task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, subsurface conditions, interference and investigation area required. Fences, utilities or existing structures can affect interpretation. A signal is therefore not classified as explosive ordnance solely on its strength. The method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task. Magnetometry measures the magnetic field passively. The magnetic effect of the target object is decisive; electrical conductivity alone does not establish its detectability by this method.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic investigations may be suitable for certain metallic target objects and site conditions. Suitability is justified for the particular task rather than inferred from the mere availability of an instrument. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the required conclusion must also be considered. Results are documented with their locations and investigation conditions. Whether a supplementary method is needed follows from technical assessment and remains a specific project decision. Transient electromagnetic methods, or TDEM, evaluate the time-dependent electromagnetic response of conductive objects. The method is selected according to the investigation objective and actual measurement conditions.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deeper groundworks, it may be necessary to establish whether a surface investigation can provide the required findings or another approach is needed. Preparation includes the location, depth, borehole layout and existing services. Creating access for the investigation must also be properly planned by specialists. A general depth figure or standard grid cannot replace that work. Findings remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed, the specialists assess whether a planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the intended work sequence. Visual observation of excavated material is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work will take place, how new findings will be handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Which investigation fits the planned groundworks

Aerial photograph analysis and official notifications

The historical aerial photograph analysis helps assess possible indications of suspected ordnance. It is read alongside other available findings and official notifications. A note from another planning area must not be transferred to your own property; nor does a neighbouring investigation replace assessment of the specific ground intervention.

Survey methods, installations and interference

For a surface survey the investigation objectives and existing interference are among the relevant factors. Where buildings, utilities or other installations restrict findings, these limits must be recorded. The report must show which area and depth could actually be assessed. Naming the survey method alone is not sufficient. Where measurability is restricted, specialists clarify whether another arrangement, a suitable deep-ground investigation or permissible supervision during construction is an option. The necessary investigation and protective measures are agreed before preparatory ground interventions.

Prerequisites for investigations in specialist foundation engineering

A deep-ground survey is not a predetermined measure for every construction project. Existing conditions, planned ground interventions and the status of official processing help determine the specialist task. Private downhole detection in connection with specialist foundation engineering is subject to the North Rhine-Westphalia KampfmittelVO and associated guidance.

Next steps

From project documents to a documented investigation

01

Establish the plan version

Compile planning documents and notes relevant to the property. Send the project address and investigation question with all annexes. Documents are checked for plan version, spatial agreement and outstanding findings.

02

Describe the groundworks

Define the area and depth of the excavation, foundations and ancillary work.

03

Compare findings

Check the actual reach of official notifications and investigations. For unresolved historical questions, undertake the necessary source research and aerial photograph analysis, assigning them to today's ground intervention. The investigation objective, intervention depth and survey conditions determine the suitable method and service scope to agree.

04

Perform the agreed investigation

The survey or investigation during construction appointed under North Rhine-Westphalia's requirements is carried out in the agreed areas and points. Measurement data and observations receive traceable location and elevation references. Uninvestigated areas, restricted access and relevant interference are recorded.

05

Assess survey data and findings

The collected data and findings are evaluated against the investigation objective. The technical assessment considers interference, the areas reached and remaining limits of the conclusions. It establishes which further investigation or work is needed for the planned groundworks.

06

Bring the report and plan appendices together

The report and plan attachments document the specialist works performed and their assessment. Worked areas, investigation depths, the relevant ground surface and limitations remain assigned. Reused older results and newly investigated areas are recorded distinctly. The agreed recipients receive the related documents together.

07

Document the task

Agree necessary additions and pass on results with their limitations.

Documentation

Identify investigation areas and limits in the report

Findings and their scope

To use a result for further planning, the investigated area, task, method and possible limitations must be known. Record which information comes from planning documents and which was obtained by technical investigation.

Project responsibilities

FONTANA-EOD documents the commissioned investigation and its results. Competent authorities make official decisions. The BFR Kampfmittelräumung provide a specialist framework for planning and evidence; outside their federal-property scope, they do not create a general legal obligation for every Krefeld project.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

We assess the planned groundworks against the available documents and their design revision. Before attending site, we agree with you what needs to be investigated, which areas are accessible and what findings are required. If the design or site conditions change, we check whether the agreed scope remains appropriate. The report states what was actually investigated and the limits of the findings. This allows designers and site management to see which findings they can use and where questions remain.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

We first establish the investigation objective: which question must it answer? We then select a technically suitable method. The availability of a particular device or experience on a similar neighbouring site is not enough to justify the choice of method on its own.

Keep limitations visible

Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.

Hand over the report and plan together

The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

A recommendation is not yet a survey report

A planning recommendation describes a need for further assessment. A report of an actual investigation, by contrast, documents its specific basis, execution and limits. Both documents may be needed for the project. They are not used as interchangeable evidence, and a summary must not blur their different tasks.

When adopting a result, check whether the document actually describes a historical assessment, official notification or technical specialist work performed. For a report, identify the service performed with its date and associated plans. The area and depth addressed must be traceable for the planned ground intervention. A recommendation for further investigation remains visible as an outstanding task. The project file brings these different documents together while recording what each establishes. Investigations still needed and decisions by the responsible authorities are coordinated with those involved for further construction.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

The planning boundary and investigation area may differ

A development plan may cover a larger area than an investigation performed later. Conversely, a connection may extend beyond the construction area considered. Show both boundaries traceably. For the current ground intervention, what matters is which documents actually cover it and which questions remain outstanding.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Historical evidence and the current design

Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.

Understand aerial photograph assessment
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Specialist reports for site management

The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.

Assess investigation reports
Four people in orange high-visibility vests in front of two excavators on a construction site.
Person with a yellow survey cart on a footpath in front of a hedge.
Questions from planning

Questions about planning documents and ordnance assessment in Krefeld

Does an ordnance note in a development plan prove a find on my property?

No. Read the content and spatial reference of the note. A planning note, a specific suspicion and an actual find are different matters. Further assessment must relate to the property concerned and planned project.

Which area does development plan No. 780 cover?

The municipal document cited applies to its defined planning area, rather than the whole of Krefeld. Its ordnance notes cannot be transferred generally to other properties. Check the documents and official findings applicable to your project.

Which documents should I compile for a specialist enquiry?

Useful documents include the current site plan, description of earthworks and foundation works, relevant planning notes and existing official notifications and investigation reports. Identify changes from earlier investigation versions, particularly structure locations and depths.

Can a report still be used if the excavation becomes larger?

Check location, depth and the limitations described to establish whether the report also covers the enlarged excavation. It remains limited to its documented investigation scope. Additional areas are therefore not automatically treated as investigated.

What should I do about a suspicious object in the ground?

Stop work in the affected area and do not touch or move the object. Keep your distance and notify the police on 110. Do not attempt to identify or expose it yourself; the responsible authorities determine the next steps.

May the note for plan 780 be transferred to another part of the town?

No. It is used only within its described boundaries. For another area, check the relevant documents and specific state of knowledge there.

Which version of the development plan should be included?

The version used for the project, with its title, date and associated spatial drawing. Its applicability and relationship to current construction plans are clarified under the specific procedure.

What cost factors matter for an enlarged excavation?

Additional area or depth may fall outside earlier results. The changed plan is therefore compared with the documented investigation scope before construction. Effort also depends on usable previous documents, access and preparation, the suitable method, survey conditions, number and depth of investigation points, and the interpretation and documentation needed. Additional specialist tasks are quoted specifically on this basis.

Project enquiry

Review planning notes for your Krefeld project

Document the plan reference

Send relevant planning documents with their version and boundaries, together with complete official information. Keep the respective annexes with statements and reports. Information adopted from earlier plans is marked with its origin and revision status; outstanding questions identify the area or structure concerned.

Show the ground intervention precisely

Include the location, depth and plan version for excavations, foundations and utilities, along with existing investigation reports. State the next construction phase and earthworks due first. Missing details and temporarily inaccessible areas remain identifiable. For any necessary area clearance or recovery task, agree its scope and permissible commission with the responsible authority beforehand. For further projects in Aachen, Dortmund, Düren, Düsseldorf, Eschweiler or Cologne the respective local documents are decisive.

GPR on a construction site
Project enquiry

Have your project assessed

Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.

FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.

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