- The owner withdrew the former Institut Kandersteg site on September 21, 2026, ending a plan for asylum seekers.
- The Canton of Bern said the decision followed increasing hostility and a tense situation around the proposal.
- Officials will keep searching the Bernese Oberland for replacement accommodation sites after losing the Kandersteg building.
The owner of the former Institut Kandersteg withdrew the property from a planned collective facility on September 21, 2026, ending a project intended to house up to 120 asylum seekers in Kandersteg.
The Canton of Bern said the owners cited “increasing hostility” and a “particularly tense situation” surrounding the proposal. The withdrawal leaves the canton without the planned site as it seeks additional accommodation in the Bernese Oberland.
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The decision followed opposition from the municipality. That resistance had existed from the beginning of the project.
The canton said it had taken note of the withdrawal and regretted the decision. Its Direction of Health, Social Affairs and Integration had been told that the building would no longer be made available.
“increasing hostility” and a “particularly tense situation”
Officials used those phrases to describe the pressure surrounding the plan. The owner’s decision applies to the former institute, which had been considered for collective accommodation at Äussere Dorfstrasse.
The withdrawal ends a plan that faced opposition from the start
The property had been presented as a possible location for a reception facility in the village. The proposed arrangement would have accommodated as many as 120 residents under the canton’s official plan.
The municipality opposed the project from its outset. That local resistance formed part of the pressure surrounding the building before the owner removed it from consideration.
The cancellation concerns this property only. The canton’s wider duty to provide accommodation remains in place, and officials said the regional search would continue.
The canton still needs beds in the Bernese Oberland
Bernese authorities will keep looking for additional sites across the Bernese Oberland. They will also continue examining possible property purchases in the region to meet legal housing obligations.
The follow-up work is being handled by the canton’s Amt für Integration und Soziales, known as AIS. Its task now includes identifying accommodation that could replace the withdrawn building.
The search comes as officials balance the need for more places with resistance to proposed facilities. The cancelled site had offered a specific building, rather than only a future construction option.
The canton’s response was restrained. It acknowledged the owner’s withdrawal, expressed regret and committed to continuing the regional search.
The proposed capacity varied with the stage of the project
The figures attached to the building differed depending on how the proposal was described. The canton’s formal plan called for up to 120 residents.
| Description of the proposal | Capacity | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Official collective accommodation plan | Up to 120 | Planned use |
| Earlier description of the building | Up to 200 refugees | After renovation |
The higher figure referred to a separate description of what the building might have accommodated after renovation. It was not the capacity stated in the canton’s official plan for the collective facility.
That distinction kept the formal project at 120 places, even though earlier accounts presented a larger potential capacity for the property.
Earlier alternatives did not keep the building in the plan
During the summer, the owner and the canton discussed options other than a collective shelter. Those alternatives included a housing project and a training centre for asylum seekers.
The discussions did not result in the property remaining available for the planned accommodation. The owner ultimately withdrew the building after the tense situation and hostility surrounding the project.
The canton now returns to the broader search it had already identified for the Bernese Oberland. Officials said that work would continue after the announcement on September 21, 2026.
