Overview
- The Monheim Stadtrat voted in a secret ballot on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, against opening the formal Bauleitplanverfahren for the Bayer 04 Campus by 25 votes to 19 with one abstention.
- Bayer 04 had sharply revised the plan to shrink the site to about 14.8 hectares, cut pitches to 10.5, widen the green corridor and increase distances to residents, but the council still declined to start the planning procedure.
- Opposition from CDU, SPD and the Greens focused on ecological concerns, citing loss of a regional green corridor, increased land sealing, the site's role as a cold‑air generation area and microplastic risks from proposed artificial turf.
- Club leaders called the vote a major disappointment and said Bayer will analyse next steps; the company has offered to fund construction and operation and projects about 150 new jobs across roughly 20 professions.
- Practical options for Bayer are narrow because the planned A1 expansion will remove current training grounds around 2031–2032; the club can support a citizen Begehren to force a referendum, wait months to resubmit under local rules, or seek other land, each route carrying timing and legal risks.