Companies, institutes, workplaces: There is a lot of hope in the area where the airport is still located today. The fact that it should now close earlier is a completely new situation for those responsible for the project.
Berlin (dpa) - Those responsible for the planned research and industrial park on the airport site in Berlin-Tegel see the possible early closure of the airport as an opportunity.
"We scratch our hooves," said the head of the project company, Philipp Bouteiller, the German Press Agency. "We can't wait to get on the site." The prospect of the closure in mid-June helps a little. For example, the search for pollutants can be continued earlier. However, one plans for 25 to 30 years. A few months earlier or later don't make a huge difference.
The area on the edge of the city center is about the same size as the zoo. The project company wants to bring together founders, students, investors, industrialists and scientists. The project runs under the name Urban Tech Republic. There is space - in several stages - for 800 small companies and institutes. The Senate hopes for 15,000 jobs. At least 5000 apartments are also planned in Tegel.
The corona crisis has so far not led investors to jump off, said Bouteiller. The demand is stable. "There is still space, but not that much." For example, the Berlin Beuth University of Applied Sciences should move into the hexagonal main terminal.
Tegel Airport should actually go out of service in November when the new capital city airport BER is expected to be in operation - then nine years late. However, because the number of passengers collapsed in the Corona crisis, the operators are working on a temporary closure from mid-June. The federal government and the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, as owners, agreed on Wednesday.
The excavators will not be able to roll in before May 2021. As a precaution, the airport must be kept operational for six months after the BER opening. Bouteiller, however, brought up an early handover of the site. "The process may be accelerated," he said. But that decides the aviation authority. The House of Representatives will probably decide on the development plans in December or January.