The containers at Columbiadamm on Tempelhofer Feld are accommodation for refugees.
© dpa
The refugee accommodation on the former airport site in Tegel is to be expanded and used by the end of 2025.
In addition, 16 new container accommodation centres with up to 6130 places are planned in nine Berlin districts. The Senate passed a resolution to this effect at its meeting on Tuesday, as Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner announced on Tuesday.
"The extension of Tegel is not an explicit wish of the Senate," said the CDU politician. The aim is to provide decentralised accommodation for refugees. However, Wegner pointed out that current developments are making this more difficult: "The numbers are going up again." This is another reason why the 16 locations planned so far will not be the last, he said, referring to the current decisions. "That gives us some breathing space now, but the overall challenge will remain."
Social Affairs Senator Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD) said that the capacity for accommodating refugees at the Ukraine arrival centre in Tegel would be expanded by 1,000 places. They should be available in summer 2024. Six lightweight halls are planned on a plot of land on Kurt-Schumacher-Damm, which is owned by the state of Berlin. According to the social administration, around 3,900 war refugees from Ukraine and around 540 asylum seekers are currently housed in the arrival centre.
The Senate has also decided to extend the use of the Ukraine arrival centre until December 31, 2025 with subsequent dismantling of the facilities. This is necessary due to the continuing influx of war refugees from Ukraine and asylum seekers. According to the social welfare administration, there are currently around 12,000 emergency accommodation centres in Berlin. The aim is to close them in the medium term.
The 16 new container facilities are to be built across the city in 2025 and 2026. The smallest facility will have 150 places, the largest 620. According to the information provided, both multi-storey accommodation, which will be used as dormitories, and single or three-storey facilities with flats are planned. The so-called housing container programme 2.0 is urgently needed to ensure the accommodation of refugees in the coming years, according to the Senator for Social Affairs.