Secret plans for a new school building on Schützenmatte come to light by chance
Basel-Stadt sees the Schützenmatte as a possible location for a new secondary school building for 26 classes. It would connect to the planned Roger Federer Hall. Actually, the canton did not want to communicate the plans publicly at all.
View from the St. Galler-Ring to the Schützenmatte athletics stadium. The sports and open spaces are in great demand for new uses.
There are ten secondary schools in Basel-Stadt. Another one will start operating next year, the one on Gartenstrasse near Aeschenplatz. However, this does not satisfy the hunger for school space in the city canton. It was only by chance that it came to light which location the canton preferred for a new secondary school building: the Schützenmatte sports center.
The school building would also have to have space next to a planned tennis hall. It is thanks to her that the public even finds out about the school room plans. In the advice on the “Area Tennis Club Old Boys, Schützenmatte West”, which the government council published last April, the possible location of the secondary school is defined: The building would replace the sand court along General-Guisan-Strasse.
The Building and Spatial Planning Commission (BRK) of the Grand Council now criticizes the information policy of the administration and the government council in its report on the advice published last Friday. She speaks of a “regrettable omission”.
Only found out about the plans “by chance,” says the commission
Parts of the commission “consider it problematic” that the Grand Council came to the advice “by chance” at all. The hall’s builder, the Old Boys Tennis Club (TCOB), received a building permit in 2019. However, based on objections, the appeal court later decided that a development plan was needed. The government council presented this in April as part of the advice on the hall. And the school house plans then appeared in this development plan.
The BRK blames the administration for not having drawn up an overall plan for the entire perimeter before drawing up the advice on the hall. Because a development plan must be permanent for at least 15 years. The BRK states: “The possible construction of a school building with a playground and other open spaces threatens to render this plan stability invalid.”
When asked about real estate in Basel-Stadt, they say that other locations are also being examined. “There are no decisions or more detailed plans yet.” IBS does not disclose what these other areas are. “Site evaluations are not publicly communicated at such an early stage.” Some of the properties are not owned by the canton.
Will Basel get a “Roger Federer School”?
From these points of view, Schützenmatte has the best chance of soon becoming a school location. The building site belongs to the canton. And further high-rise buildings should in principle be possible on the sports center. In any case, the BRK describes the hall project as “suitable for the district”. And rejects the objections from the population.
Roger Federer has also promised funds for the construction of the hall; he played as a junior at TCOB. The hall is therefore already called “Roger Federer Hall” in the district. It is not clear from the documents published so far whether the new school will also bear the name of the tennis star.
