Berlin will spend money on these projects
From Hildburg Bruns
The old figures were too high. That’s why Berlin’s Finance Senator Daniel Wesener (46, Greens) sorted out and stretched. “Be honest!” he calls it. In other words: Don’t announce anything that is unrealistic.
The investment list for the two years 2024/2025 is complete. Well over 3 billion euros are raised in each case – a quarter always flows into school construction. Around 1 billion euros – for comparison: in 2017 it was just 203 million euros.
There is a new trend: new construction comes before renovation, because more students have to be accommodated temporarily. By 2026/27 there should be 23,000 new places in primary school alone, while the number of pupils should only increase by 14,500. But be careful with these estimates – Berlin is still waiting for a current population forecast and the census has not yet been evaluated!
These major projects include:
► Comic opera (total 227 million euros): The first funds will flow in 2024 (10 million), 2025 (25 million), 2026 (43 million).
► New heart center building (397 million)starting in 2024 with 10 million euros.
►City Hall Mitte (187 million)from 2024 around 20 million euros each.
►Conversion of TXL building (185 million)each 30 million euros will flow in 2025/26.
Red-Green-Red is in no hurry to build the new buildingCentral State Library in Kreuzberg. Construction will start in 2027 at the earliest, i.e. no longer in the current government period.
Also for the sad aluminum colossusInternational Congress Center (ICC) there’s no big windfall – and still finally hope. For the first time in ten (!) years, an international congress will take place there again. There are already registrations from all over the world.
And another ray of hope: Economics Senator Stephan Schwarz (57, non-party) should be allowed to plan a future, at least gets money from the budget for it.
“With the large international audience, we hope to give a boost to a conception phase,” said the governing Franziska Giffey (44, SPD).
Her plan: “This has to be thought of as a public-private partnership. And internationally. We visited the Center Pompidou in Paris. You have to clarify whether it will be something right away.”