Pratteln residents oppose planned asylum centre for 150 people
Sunday 11th October 2026 on 12:30 in
Switzerland
Residents of Pratteln’s Längi district are resisting plans for an asylum reception centre for 150 people, fearing assaults and disruption to their peace and quiet, SRF reports. The centre is due to open in 2027.
Philippe Schuler, head of the Längi neighbourhood association, said two houses had already been sold and some residents were considering moving away. He said he did not want to stop the centre, but hoped it could be moved to a more suitable plot in Pratteln.
Längi was once considered a troubled neighbourhood, with reports of rubbish on the streets, youth gangs and problems linked to its many apartment blocks. In 2008, the municipality and the federal government launched the Urbain project, clearing rubbish, creating a community meeting place and investing in youth work. Schuler said the neighbourhood had since become a normal place to live and he feared the centre could change that.
Opposition to asylum accommodation has also emerged elsewhere. In Kandersteg, resistance led the owners of a building intended for asylum seekers to withdraw. In Zurich’s Leimbach district, critics gathered thousands of signatures against plans to convert a former retirement home, but the city is proceeding and expects the centre to open in August 2027.
Residents near an existing asylum facility in Basel recently complained that men living in an underground accommodation unit were hiding knives and drugs in nearby gardens. Security patrols have since been increased and extended to the area around the building.
Pratteln’s planned centre will replace an accommodation facility in Laufen, which is due to close. Laufen Mayor Pascal Bolliger said residents there had initially raised concerns, but he had heard of no serious problems. He said open communication with local people was important.
About 200 people live in the Laufen centre, including families and women as well as men travelling alone. Fabian Dinkel, who is responsible for the centres in Laufen and Pratteln, said trained staff would be present around the clock.