Hamburg - Billstrasse task force draws a positive balance: many proceedings
After a major fire in Hamburg's Rothenburgsort district revealed shortcomings in areas such as waste disposal and fire protection, the Billstrasse task force, which was set up specifically for this purpose, has now drawn a largely positive balance. Over the past eight months, it has inspected 69 businesses on 28 properties, said head of operations Joscha Heinrich in Hamburg on Thursday. The task force members from customs, the health department, the building authority, the fire department, the police, the district office and many other authorities had found numerous violations.
The bottom line so far is that 14 criminal proceedings have been initiated, 36 administrative offense proceedings and 48 so-called proceedings initiated by the building inspectorate "to establish proper conditions". In 17 cases, the owners have initiated objection proceedings and one case is currently being dealt with by the administrative court. This concerns the use of residential accommodation that had been closed by the authorities.
In recent months, the emergency services had discovered and sealed 17 unauthorized accommodations on Billstrasse. Most of them were housing workers from Eastern Europe. The conditions were sometimes dangerous, said Ralf Neubauer (SPD), head of the district authority. For example, people had lived in an old office wing in which tires were piled meters high in front of the windows. "They wouldn't have been able to get out if there had been a fire in the hallway." The residents had been offered alternative accommodation, but only a few had accepted this offer.
Heinrich said that there was a general sense of interest among local employees in improving the conditions. Talks are also being held with property owners. In his own words, office manager Neubauer sees the municipal right of first refusal, which was passed at the end of November for the Billstrasse East area, as the final measure. "This is of course a major encroachment on property rights." The first goal is to find solutions for the use of the properties with the owners. According to the district office, the authorities want to continue the joint operations and inspections in 2024.
Billstrasse is the focus of the district office's attention following a major fire in April. Several vehicles, washing machines and other stored goods had gone up in flames there and the fire had spread to a complex of warehouses. The fire department was busy extinguishing the fire for days.
PM on the establishment of the task force
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- The Fire department and the police were heavily involved in extinguishing the major fire that occurred in Rothenburgsort, Hamburg.
- The taskforce, which includes the Fire department and various other authorities, identified numerous violations related to fire protection and garbage disposal during their inspections of Billstrasse businesses.
- Following the major fire, the city of Hamburg passed a law granting the municipal right of first refusal for Billstrasse East properties, which is a significant encroachment on property rights.
- The Police have initiated 14 criminal proceedings and 36 administrative offense proceedings in response to the violations uncovered by the taskforce in the area of fire protection and garbage disposal.
- The Fire Department in Hamburg has been actively involved in sealing unauthorized accommodations on Billstrasse, which were discovered by the emergency services, following the major fire that occurred in the district.
Source: www.stern.de
