Status of the BSR Biomass Centre project

There is currently a great deal of information available about the BSR project – here are the facts we are aware of:

• The site has been designated as a special zone for ‘composting/energy production from biomass’ in the municipality’s land-use plan since 2010;
• The facility has been in operation for decades. BSR purchased it in 2018 and has already invested heavily in improvements.
• In May 2023, the State Office for the Environment (LfU) instructed the BSR to apply new environmental legislation on air quality control to the facility, which was approved in 1997. The BSR must enclose areas containing biowaste (by constructing a building around them).
• A development plan (B-Plan) is required for the construction of the necessary buildings.
• October 2024: Application by BSR to the local council to draw up a development plan. Objective: to modernise the existing biomass centre; to construct composting halls (‘enclosures’), staff facilities and a biogas plant; thereby improving environmental and groundwater protection as well as working conditions.
• December 2024: Resolution by the local council to draw up the development plan
• Spring 2025: Early public engagement with an information session:
• Expert reports suggest that there will be a significant improvement (in terms of odour, noise and dust). The remaining issue is traffic passing through the village. Consequently, plans are being discussed to upgrade a farm track and use it as an access road to the works from the B1/5.

• December 2025: The draft local development plan is available; a further public consultation is planned following approval by the local council (the decision is known as an ‘approval resolution’);
• Important: This is NOT yet the decision on the development plan!

• January 2026: Publication of all planning documents and a further public information meeting; anyone may submit comments. Only after the local council has assessed (weighed up) all comments can the development plan be adopted as a by-law. Prior to this, an urban development agreement must be concluded with BSR to agree on the municipality’s financial contribution and the conditions to be met.

To clarify:

• The development plan does not specify whether, or how much, compost material the BSR is permitted to process at the site. The necessary permits are issued by the State Office for the Environment – independently of the development plan. However, the BSR has assured the local council that, in future , it will not process more than the quantities previously authorised at the Hennickendorf site.
• Rejecting the next stage of the development plan process would not result in the existing facility being removed.
• Without a local development plan, the local authority has less influence over future development.
• The local council will decide when the development plan is to be adopted. Care must be taken to ensure that all realistic requirements are set out in the town planning agreement in advance.

• Invitation to a public discussion on 11 December 2025 at the BSR site

Dear residents of Hennickendorf,

The project being carried out by Berliner Stadtreinigung (BSR) in Hennickendorf is currently raising a lot of questions. The composting plant has been in operation for many years. Since 2010, the site has been designated as a composting area in the local authority’s plan. BSR has purchased the plant and has already made a number of improvements.

The State Office for the Environment is calling for even stricter rules in future. As a result, organic waste must be stored and processed in halls. To achieve this, the local authority needs a new plan. BSR has applied to draw up this plan in 2024. The aim is to have modern halls, a building with toilets, changing rooms and a kitchen for the workers, and a new biogas plant. This should reduce odours, noise and dust, and prevent dirty water from entering the groundwater.

In 2025, the public was first informed about this. Experts say that most of the impacts will be reduced. Only heavy traffic will remain. That is why a new access road from the main road is being considered.

In December 2025, the local council will decide on the next step. If there is a majority in favour, from January 2026 onwards, everyone will be able to view the documents and give their views on them. Only then can the plan be adopted.

It is important to note that the plan does not determine the volume of waste. That is the responsibility of the State Office for the Environment. However, the BSR has assured us that it will not process any greater volumes than those already authorised. Even if the plan is rejected, the composting site will remain in operation. Without the plan, however, the local authority has less say in the matter.

The local council wants everyone to be well informed and able to have their say. On 11 December 2025, there will be a public discussion on this topic at the composting site, which will be broadcast on television.

Kind regards

’s Mayor, Sabine Löser

Dear residents,
dear people of Hennickendorf,

There is currently a great deal of misinformation circulating regarding the Berliner Stadtreinigung (BSR) project to modernise its biomass centre in the north of Hennickendorf. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to inform you of the facts as I understand them.

In October 2024, the BSR submitted an application to our local authority to draw up a development plan (B-Plan) for an area designated in the 2010 land-use plan as a special zone for composting and the use of biomass for energy.

An authorised composting plant has been in operation at this site for decades. The company Büssow also operated a biogas plant alongside it. In 2018, BSR purchased the site, became a party to the public-law contract, stabilised the ground, decommissioned the often foul-smelling biogas plant and, in recent years, has already invested substantial sums in the proper disposal of huge quantities of contaminated material that were polluting the air and soil. It has built a new access road to relieve traffic on Klosterdorfer Weg, erected a fence to prevent plastic waste from blowing onto neighbouring land, and had the fields and woodland cleared of this waste.

The State Office for the Environment (LfU) is responsible for granting authorisation for such plants; it was also the body that authorised the plant during Büssow’s time. The Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) is the primary legislation governing this matter. As was the case in 2007, the LfU issued an order in 2023 requiring the plant, which had been approved in 1997, to be brought into line with new technical regulations (this time: the Technical Guidelines on Air Quality – TA Luft of 2021).

BSR is now planning to build composting halls (known as ‘enclosures’ to prevent odours and other emissions), a staff building for its employees, and a new biogas plant to generate energy from the gases produced during composting. To prevent pollutants from entering the groundwater, composting no longer takes place ‘at ground level’ but on paved areas equipped with a modern drainage and water treatment system.

To this end, the BSR could choose to submit a planning application for works in the municipality’s outlying areas and apply to the LfU for further permits. However, the decision was taken to apply for a development plan in order to establish planning permission for the modernisation of the existing biomass centre, in consultation with the local authority and with the involvement of residents. In my view, this is the more transparent solution.

In December 2024, our local council approved this proposal by drawing up the local development plan and endorsing the preliminary draft. In the spring of 2025, an initial, early stage of public and stakeholder consultation was carried out. In March, a public information event was held in Hennickendorf, attended by around 45 residents.

Drawing on the feedback received during the early consultation phase, the commissioned planning consultancy has drawn up a draft of the development plan. A number of expert reports were also prepared for this purpose, including reports on species protection and potential impacts from noise, odours, dust or traffic. As a result, it is expected that the implementation of the planned modernisation measures will lead to a significant improvement in most of these areas compared with the current situation.

A solution still needs to be found for the traffic situation. Both residents and the authorities consider the traffic burden caused by vehicles passing through Hennickendorf to be very heavy. One possible solution would be to upgrade an existing farm track between the B1 and Rehfelde, east of Hennickendorf and Herzfelde, to serve as a bypass. Serious discussions are currently taking place on this matter between our local council, the Märkische Schweiz district authority (representing the municipality of Rehfelde) and the BSR.

At this stage, the draft local development plan has been submitted to our local council for approval. A decision on this is to be taken at the meeting on 18 December 2025. The so-called ‘approval resolution’ is necessary to enable the public and the relevant authorities to be consulted again on the new planning status. Provided there is a majority in favour of this within the local council, the current planning documents are to be published online between 19 January and 22 February 2026. In addition, a paper copy will be available for inspection at our local council’s citizens’ office and at the local mayor’s office in the former town hall in Hennickendorf. Everyone will then be able to form their own opinion and is welcome to submit comments and observations. As part of this process, a further public information event is also planned in Hennickendorf to answer any questions regarding the content and procedure of the process.

It is important to note that this is not yet the final decision on the development plan. It is a necessary step towards that. The local authority retains control of the process right up to the final adoption of the by-laws and in monitoring the implementation of and compliance with the development plan. If we cannot agree on outstanding issues, we do not have to adopt the by-laws!

Before that, all comments received must be assessed and considered by the local council. Only once this has been done and no further amendments to the development plan are required (sometimes a revised draft is produced) can this development plan be adopted as a by-law and brought into force. Prior to this, the local council will also have to decide on an urban development agreement in which BSR undertakes to cover the costs of the procedure and to comply with the conditions set by the local authority.

It is important to note that the development plan does not specify whether, or how much, compost material the BSR is permitted to process at the site. The necessary permits for this are issued by the State Office for the Environment. The BSR has assured the local council that, in future, it will not process more organic waste in Hennickendorf than the quantities previously authorised. A second large, modern BSR facility for the recycling of organic waste is located in Ruhleben, in the west of Berlin.

I feel it is important to emphasise at this point that a rejection of the draft development plan would not result in the facility being closed down. Even if the local authority were to decide to abandon the development plan, composting would likely continue on the site. Perhaps not all waste would then be processed, but only that which is permitted to be managed as open compost heaps. It is also conceivable that, through lengthy legal proceedings in the courts or with the planning authorities, the legal basis could be established without a local development plan.

I am convinced – and can say this from my experience of many years of local planning – that
If we now take the next step in the process, you, as residents, will be closely involved in the process. The local council and the local council’s executive committee are fully aware of the issues. Together, we can influence future developments and bring about clear improvements on the current situation. That is my aim, and that is our aim. If we reject the continuation of the planning and negotiations, we will be left out, and our opportunities for participation will then be far more limited.

If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to contact me or the relevant department within our local authority at any time.

I would also like to cordially invite you to the BSR site on 11 December 2025 to take part in a public discussion about the project, moderated by RBB, at the Blauer Robur.

Yours sincerely

Sabine Löser
Mayor

For further information, please contact:

Rüdersdorf near Berlin Local Authority
Department 1 – Planning and Building
PO Box 07
15558 Rüdersdorf near Berlin
planung@ruedersdorf.de
033638 / 85 103