Overview
- The newly constituted council lifted the formal planning procedure in a secret ballot, putting the project on hold.
- CDU, SPD, the Greens and FDP supported the stoppage, citing disproportionality, traffic overload and ecological concerns.
- Bayer 04 said it will keep pursuing the campus, plans talks with council factions and argues valuable time is being lost.
- The proposed complex covers about 22 hectares of Bayer AG land with roughly a dozen pitches and support buildings, with earlier estimates near €120 million.
- Supporters submitted more than 12,500 signatures for the project versus about 2,500 against, while the club points to motorway expansion and DFL parking rules removing current training space.