The planned expansion of Tübingen University Hospital (Germany) is being held up by a rare bird that has taken it into its head to nest in an atypical spot. In the view of the city's mayor, Boris Palmer, it is a poor example of bureaucracy run rampant.
Is Tübingen a city with a special bird? Apparently it is! A nightjar has made its home on the roof of the university hospital. Mayor Boris Palmer (independent) wishes a cat had caught it long ago. Why? The bird is costing the city a great deal of money and frayed nerves.
The nightjar is an endangered bird species in Germany. In his New Year address and on a television talk show, Boris Palmer had previously voiced his frustration that this bird of all birds is obstructing his plans to develop the clinic further. Palmer has written a letter to the Minister-President of the federal state, Winfried Kretschmann (Green Party).
The nightjar “needs” plenty of space
The nightjar has chosen an “expensive” nesting site in Tübingen. The city administration wants to expand the hospital grounds, a project that would cost roughly 250 million euros. According to Palmer, however, the responsible nature conservation authority is blocking these plans from being carried out. Before construction can begin, a buffer zone must be created for the bird. Palmer explained to ZDF: “That doesn't sound bad at all, but... the nightjar needs a wide area in which to fly. Trees get in their way.”
Ten hectares of forest near the hospital will now have to be felled so that the birds have enough space. At the same time, to compensate for this, trees will be planted elsewhere. “How am I supposed to explain that to the city's residents?” Boris Palmer asks in his letter to the Minister-President of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. After all, the hospital expansion concerns people's health and lives. According to Palmer, nearly three million people depend on the care provided by the university hospital.
Does the bird still live in its old spot?
What seems odd is that nobody knows whether the nightjar still lives on the roof. For about a year it has been neither seen nor heard. Boris Palmer assumes that a cat may have caught the bird, thereby solving the whole swollen problem.
The mayor of Tübingen assumes that the bird has no offspring and no longer lives on the roof, which is why a letter running to several pages was sent to Winfried Kretschmann, objecting to absurd bureaucratic requirements. In the reply he received, Palmer was informed that most of the requirements he criticised “come” from the German federal government or the EU. Nevertheless, the ministries and authorities involved will be approached in order to find a solution.