The expansion of FC Koln's training centre at Geißbockheim in the Sülz district has hit another legal hurdle. A citizen group has filed an appeal against a ruling by the Münster Higher Administrative Court, which four weeks ago had essentially permitted the construction.
The court had declared the development plan effective and did not allow an appeal to the Federal Administrative Court. The Bürgerinitiative Grüngürtel has now lodged a timely complaint against this non-admission and has four weeks left to submit its reasoning. The lawsuit targets the planned extension of the sports facility, which includes three new training pitches and a functional building on previously undeveloped land within the protected green belt. In compensation, four small public playing fields are to be created on the Gleueler Wiese. Critics, including conservationists, criticise the sealing of the ground and the loss of public green space under monument and landscape protection.
A court spokesperson confirmed that the Naturschutzbund Deutschland has waived its right to appeal. This is already the second major legal dispute over the project. Over four years ago, the OVG had rejected the development plan, a decision later overturned by the Federal Administrative Court.
The ongoing battle over training infrastructure comes as FC Koln sit 13th in the Bundesliga with four points from four matches. The team's next fixture is at home against bottom-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach on October 11th.
