EignungsgebietSuitable area for development
The designation of certain sites outside the areas covered by a binding land-use plans as areas suitable for development is a means of exerting control over spatially relevant development measures (spatially relevant projects, plans and measures) in what in planning law is termed the outer zone by declaring certain areas within a region as suitable areas for certain types of development. The implication of such a designation is that such measures will in general not be permitted outside these areas. This is the case for privileged undertakings in the outer zone, e.g., the planning and construction of wind farms.
The designation of certain areas as suitable areas for development invokes the legally binding force of spatial planning goals. In this, suitable development areas differ from priority and reserve areas, where a certain use is granted privileged status over others without being prohibited outside the designated area.