Coalition pushes for relaxation in eviction laws, preventing new housing projects
The city of Stuttgart has filed a complaint against Section 23 AEG of the German Railway Act, which tightened regulations for withdrawing idle railway surfaces at the end of 2023. This move comes as the city's Mayor Frank Nopper (CDU) welcomes the prospect of revising the regulation, as it would enable the feasibility of the Stuttgart Rosenstein residential construction project with up to 5,700 apartments for over 10,000 people.
The new federal government, comprising the CDU/CSU and SPD, is pushing for a quick revision of the regulation. The coalition's draft proposes to retain the "overriding public interest" for the withdrawal in the AEG, but ties it to two conditions: If there is neither a traffic demand nor a long-term usage perspective, the overriding public interest no longer applies, and a withdrawal of the area becomes possible.
However, the revision has sparked controversy. Luigi Pantisano (Left) rejected the coalition's draft bill, arguing that railway areas should not be used for other purposes. On the other hand, Günter Baumgartner (CSU) supports a change to the AEG for the Stuttgart Rosenstein district. Matthias Gastel (Green Party) criticized the coalition's draft, stating it does not go far enough and recklessly releases too many areas.
The Greens have submitted their own proposal for amending the AEG, setting out nine key objectives, including securing railway areas in the long term for freight traffic and reactivating abandoned tracks. The Berlin coalition is planning to relax the tightened regulation for the withdrawal of idle railway surfaces, with the aim of providing a balanced solution that allows the urban use of unnecessary railway surfaces without endangering the traffic infrastructure.
The amendment to the law must ensure that future-oriented residential construction projects can continue to be possible. Anja Troff-Schaffarzyk (SPD) emphasized the strategic importance of old railway surfaces for connected mobility. Wolfgang Wiehle of the AfD called for the phrase "overriding public interest" to be completely removed from the AEG.
Both draft laws were debated in the Bundestag in the first reading on Thursday and referred to the Transport Committee for further consultation. The new regulation is set to come into force on December 29, 2023, and includes a transitional regulation, stating that for procedures that were applied for before the new regulation comes into force, the previous legal situation shall continue to apply.
For the latest detailed status of revision efforts, government publications or legislative tracking tools from German transport or infrastructure ministries would be necessary. As of now, there are no relevant search results providing information about the current status of the revision of Section 23 AEG, especially regarding its impact on residential construction projects and the relaxation of regulations for withdrawing idle railway surfaces.
For further inquiries, Philipp Rudolf's contact information is provided.
Stuttgart Rosenstein residential construction project German Railway Act (AEG) Revision of Section 23 AEG Idle railway surfaces Residential construction projects Transport Committee *Philipp Rudolf (contact information)
The German Railway Act (AEG) revision, particularly Section 23, is under discussion in the Transport Committee, aiming to relax regulations for withdrawing idle railway surfaces. This proposed amendment could potentially impact future residential construction projects like the Stuttgart Rosenstein district.
The Greens have presented their own proposal, focusing on securing railway areas for freight traffic and reactivating abandoned tracks, while the coalition's draft seeks a balanced solution for urban use of unnecessary railway surfaces without compromising traffic infrastructure.
