City officials in the German town of Reinbek are proposing to chop down a forest to establish an emergency shelter for migrants amid an urgent migrant accommodation crisis.
As the city grapples with a projected need for more than 200 housing spaces, the proposed site at the “Alte Stadtgärtnerei” has raised environmental concerns among local residents and political factions.
During a city council meeting on Sept. 26, the majority voted in favor of the shelter, which could accommodate between 100 and 200 refugees. However, the proposed location, situated in a commercial area behind Carl-Zeiss-Straße, would necessitate the removal of a forest, drawing criticism from environmental advocates, particularly the Greens.
Günther Herder-Alpen, the parliamentary group leader of the Greens, emphasized that the development would require costly infrastructure for energy and wastewater and questioned the feasibility of the site, stating, “It certainly won’t be quick to develop this location.”
Despite these concerns, Mayor Brigitte Bortz (CDU) defended the proposal, arguing that the forest clearance has previously gone unchallenged for other developments in the area.
“Nobody has ever been upset about the deforestation necessary for this,” she remarked, referencing plans for the South Holstein waste management company to be located there. “We need places for the refugees,” she added.
Head of Office Torsten Christ acknowledged the pressing need for accommodation, highlighting that the city has only housed 130 of the 150 new refugees forecasted for 2024. “It cannot be assumed that we will have to accommodate fewer than 150 people in 2025,” he stated, stressing the urgency of finding suitable shelter.
“The area belongs to the city and has a lot of potential. It is the only location where we can accommodate nearly as many refugees as we need,” added Nikolaus Kern, chairman of the SPD parliamentary group whose colleagues voted in favor of the proposal.
All major parties on the council (ed. the Alternative for Germany has no local representation) voted for the plans with the exception of the Greens who abstained.
The city council’s decision on the emergency shelter will have lasting implications for both local residents and the incoming refugee population.
