Process - Court rules on referendum "Save Hamburg's green spaces"
The Hamburg Constitutional Court will announce its ruling on the admissibility of the referendum "Save Hamburg's green spaces - climate protection now!" today (10.00 a.m.). The initiative wants to ensure that no new building areas are designated in large green and agricultural areas in Hamburg. The red-green senate had appealed to the court because it is convinced that this request conflicts with higher-ranking law and also does not respect the limits of the Hamburg constitution.
The starting point of the proceedings is the popular initiative to protect large green and agricultural areas from development, which came about at the end of 2021 with more than 10,000 valid signatures. After the Bürgerschaft failed to pass a resolution in line with the popular initiative, the initiators applied for the next step in the popular legislation process in May 2022 - a referendum. The Senate then appealed to the Constitutional Court.
In its view, the initiative's draft would, among other things, restrict the planning rights of the Bürgerschaft and Senate in a way that was incompatible with the federal requirements for urban land-use planning. Furthermore, the consequences for urban development were not made sufficiently clear in the text of the vote.
Website of the initiative
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The Hamburg Constitutional Court's decision on the admissibility of the referendum could significantly impact the 'Save Hamburg's green spaces - climate protection now!' movement. If deemed admissible, the referendum processes might proceed, potentially challenging established urban land-use planning processes.
Regardless of the court's ruling on admissibility, the initiative's climate-focused goals to preserve large green and agricultural spaces will continue to spark debate and discussions within the local political communities of Hamburg.
Recent referendums in Hamburg have shown that public engagement and support for environmental and constitutional matters can lead to changes in policy, and a successful referendum on this issue may inspire similar efforts in other cities aiming for better climate protection.
Source: www.stern.de
