The Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing has instructed the Neukölln district office to continue the development plan procedure for the Emmaus Forest “to safeguard urgent overall interests of Berlin” and to complete it by the end of the year. There is no justification for this – other than: it is a large housing project that has been planned for so long without being finalised.
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There has been no direct contact between BUWOG and the district office since the district assembly (BVV) asked BUWOG to change the development plan. BUWOG then turned directly to the Senate, which is now dutifully executing the interests of the real estate lobby. BUWOG’s project page no longer says “construction start 2024” – it now says “coming soon” …
According to the district office, however, the Senate will not be able to push the procedure through by the end of the year either – since the forest assessment, coordination with the Berlin Forestry Authority, public display, legal review, deliberation in the House of Representatives etc. are not possible within this timeframe. So the debate at state level is now beginning!
We clearly oppose any development of the Emmaus Forest and condemn the Senate’s plans to push the development forward!
Over 13,800 people who have signed our petition, as well as all democratic parties in the Neukölln BVV, are against the development and in favour of preserving the Emmaus Forest as a forest, green lung, place of calm and climate-resilient fresh-air corridor!