Citizens in Speyer lose court battle against refugee containers

The city of Speyer in Rhineland-Palatinate is moving forward with plans to build containers for asylum seekers on a public transport company site, despite opposition from some residents. The administrative court in Neustadt, Rhineland-Palatinate, recently rejected an urgent application from a citizens’ petition against the accommodation of asylum seekers in containers. The court cited lack of urgency as the reason for rejecting the application.

The municipal council of Speyer had approved the construction of an asylum accommodation in container form on a property owned by the municipal transport company. The decision was made in response to the expected exhaustion of existing accommodation capacities by autumn. A citizens’ initiative called “Speyer can do more than just containers!” was formed in opposition to this plan.

The citizens’ petition against the accommodation of asylum seekers in containers was rejected as inadmissible by the city in March 2024. The initiative took the matter to the administrative court, which determined that the request was not urgent. The court noted that the property designated for the asylum accommodation had not been prepared or used for this purpose since the decision was made. The property is leased until 2025, and alternative decentralized accommodation options exist.

Despite the rejection of the urgent application, opponents of the container accommodation plan may still appeal the decision to the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Palatinate. The city administration had previously demonstrated that accommodation for refugees could be provided without the use of containers.