Berlin - Fence around Görlitzer Park: Senate awards construction contract
The planned fence to curb drug dealing and other crime in Görlitzer Park in Berlin-Kreuzberg has been officially commissioned by the Senate. The Senate Environment Department commissioned the state-owned Grün Berlin GmbH to "equip the park with a stable enclosure", as announced on Friday. The existing wall is to be repaired, extended and supplemented, and lockable gates are to be installed at the entrances. The fence should make it possible to close the park at night in future.
The wall and the additional fences and gates are not expected to be completed until late spring or early summer. The Senate announced that construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2024. Berlin's governing mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) had originally said that the fence would be built at the beginning of the year. Most recently, Senate circles said that completion was more likely to take until May or June.
The fence and the gates are expected to cost just under two million euros. Details, such as the height of the wall and fence and the design of the gates, still need to be discussed. Additional staff in the park and lighting will cost a further two million euros.
Parallel to the construction of the fence, which the CDU and parts of the SPD in particular wanted, there is to be a lot of money for supporting homeless people and drug addicts in Kreuzberg and other neighborhoods. Around 31 million euros are to be spent there over the next two years. The planned aid includes more drug consumption rooms, shelters, even more social work and drug prevention. The Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district office, led by the Green Party, continues to oppose the fence.
The debate about safety in the park, which has been one of the largest drug dealing areas for well over ten years, was reignited after a young woman was raped by several men in June.
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The CDU, a political party in Berlin, supports the construction of the fence to combat drug trafficking and crime in Görlitzer Park, specifically in Kreuzberg. The fence is intended to enhance security, allowing the park to be closed at night and reducing drug dealing activities that have been prevalent for over a decade. The estimated cost of the fence and additional security measures, including staff and lighting, totals nearly four million euros. Simultaneously, the Senate has allocated funds to support homeless individuals and drug addicts in Kreuzberg and other neighborhoods, with plans for more drug consumption rooms, shelters, and social work programs.
Source: www.stern.de
