The city of Maintal is sticking to the idea of providing two fairgrounds in the districts as parking spaces for buildings to accommodate refugees – but only as a reserve. A third plot of land is also being considered as a building site for a lightweight hall, a site on Theo-Mack-Straße in the industrial park south of Bischofsheim, as First City Councillor Karl-Heinz Kaiser (SPD) explained at a citizens' meeting on Tuesday evening. According to him, this should be used first, the fairgrounds only afterwards, if there is a further need for housing for those seeking protection.

Jan Schiefenhövel

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Criticism had been voiced against the use of the fairgrounds in recent weeks, and signatures were collected against the project. At a meeting in the Bürgerhaus Bischofsheim, some speakers received applause who were critical of the use of the festival sites and preferred to keep them free for events. But that was not the unanimous opinion. There was also applause for the emperor and mayor Monika Böttcher (independent), who presented the concept of the administration, and for a citizen who pointed out that the fairgrounds had been lying fallow for years and that they could be used for refugees.

The final decision on the plans lies with the city councillors, who are expected to decide on them at their meeting on Monday, 15 May. According to the mayor, more refugees are currently arriving in the district than in 2015 and 2016. Half of them come from Ukraine, the other half from other countries such as Syria and Afghanistan. Currently, there are still places available in the city's shelters, Kaiser said. However, these will not last until the end of the year, when the district will allocate new refugees to the municipalities.

Construction site for lightweight hall in the industrial park

The 3500 square meter site on Theo-Mack-Straße is needed for the expansion of the North Main S-Bahn line. However, Deutsche Bahn AG has announced that it does not need the area before 2025. For this reason, a temporary temporary temporary hall for 140 people seeking protection could be erected there beforehand. The city will rent such a hall if necessary, not buy it, Kaiser said.

The city council defended the plans for the fairgrounds in the districts of Bischofsheim and Hochstadt. It is better to use these areas as building sites for temporary buildings than to accommodate the refugees in the community centres, which are important for the life of the association and are needed for the meetings of the political committees. The temporary halls are only a temporary solution. Apartments would be built for recognized refugees who would be allowed to stay permanently. The area on Fechenheimer Weg in Bischofsheim is the former fairground, which is intended for other recreational uses in the long term, such as a boules court and a play area for children. After occupying the site on Theo-Mack-Straße, a lightweight hall for 140 people could also be built on the former fairground. The fairground in Hochstadt is intended for a calisthenics facility, as well as a location for a mobile phone mast.