In a boat

When David Svendsen came to the Bille Rowing Association's boathouse on the Green Bridge at the Billebecken for the first time seven years ago, he was immediately impressed. "It was raining, windy and gray," he says. "Nevertheless, I was fascinated by the place - the urban, the industrial charm, the undeveloped. Back then, Rothenburgsort was still unknown territory for many Hamburg residents," he recalls. David Svendsen, who lives in Eimsbüttel, took a beginners' course and stuck with rowing and the Bille rowing club, going out on the water twice a week.

Like his club colleagues, David Svendsen is relieved and delighted that RV Bille will remain at this traditional and idyllic location. On July 9, Billebogen Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG (BBEG), the Hamburg-Mitte district authority and the Rowing Association Bille von 1896 e.V. (RV Bille) announced the good news - on site in bright sunshine against the impressive backdrop of the water with seagulls circling high in the sky. A letter of intent to this effect had been signed beforehand.

The RV Bille , which currently has around 200 members, has been based at the Billebecken near the Green Bridge since the 1960s. The municipal property is now owned by BBEG, which is responsible for the redevelopment of the urban space on the southern edge of the Bille basin around Bullenhuser Damm . The main objectives include the creation of urban production and commercial locations, the qualification of open spaces, for example through the public development of the shoreline zones, as well as a better linking of pathways within the urban space. A relocation of the RV Bille was considered as part of the development. Various alternative locations on the north and east side of the Bille basin were examined. These considerations are now off the table. The BBEG is tailoring the urban development on the neighboring property.

Dr. Andreas Kleinau, Chairman of the Management Board of Billebogen Entwicklungsgesellschaft, explains the decision: "As the result of an intensive exchange since 2021, it is an example of how local needs can be integrated into future-oriented urban development. The agreement paves the way for the further development of the Bille basin as a location for research, development and production and at the same time takes into account the RV Bille, which we value as an anchor point for neighborhood and leisure in Rothenburgsort ." Ralf Neubauer, head of the Hamburg-Mitte district authority, added: "The joint decision will also be secured under planning law via the new Rothenburgsort 19 development plan. At the same time, the district is extending the sports framework agreement with the club for another 25 years, which also gives the club security for necessary renovation and modernization measures."

On behalf of RV Bille , Chairman Andreas Goertz expressed his thanks for the decision: "We are delighted that our current location is secured for the long term and that we can continue to develop our sporting, cultural and social activities."

The areas ceded to the RV Bille are considered part of a public green riverside zone. The opening up of the association's property for a riverside promenade will be examined and developed further in the future planning. RV Bille also contributes to the revitalization of the riverside zones with its activities. The Department of Urban and Landscape Planning in the Hamburg Mitte district office is currently examining a structural reorganization of the association's premises, taking into account the current space requirements. Initial variants are already available and are currently being coordinated with the association. The development plan procedure for the Billebecken has already been initiated.

The Billebogen development area, which covers around 75 hectares in total, includes the Billebecken , the Elbbrücken Stadteingang and the Neue Huckepackbahnhof. The quarter between Großmannstraße, Ausschläger Weg and Bille forms the transition to the Billbrook industrial area in the east. A future anchor user with a focus on research has already been established at the Billebecken : the Institute for Hygiene and Environment is constructing a new laboratory building on Bullenhuser Damm .

Text: Andrea Bittelmeyer