Criticism of politics

Long construction processes: “City must deliver a solution”

The city of Graz recently suffered a defeat in court over this plot of land on the Bahnhofgürtel.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Construction negotiations in Graz often take forever - business therefore sharply criticizes the city government.

The protracted building procedures in Graz are causing a stir and repeatedly taking the city to court. Entrepreneur Hannes Schreiner recently landed a success there. He has been waiting for more than seven years (the legal deadline is a maximum of 18 months) for a development plan for his property on the Bahnhofgürtel. As reported, the Constitutional Court has now ruled in his favor and the development plan obligation must be lifted.

Bernhard Bauer, WKO regional office chairman in Graz.(Bild: Foto Fischer, Graz)

Dedication change to park planned
Support for Schreiner also comes from the Chamber of Commerce. Bernhard Bauer, head of the regional office in Graz, sees "economic hostility" in the city's approach. He sees the culmination of this in the amendment to the zoning plan, which plans to change Schreiner's property from a commercial area to a public park. "Between scrap dealers, a youth culture center and a marshalling yard, nobody needs it there."

Lawyer Mario Walcher notes that the recent Constitutional Court ruling is not a novelty, but was already decided in this way in 2022. "Over the last two years, I have assisted a number of clients with such proceedings and it seemed that some progress was being made - but the current case shows a step backwards," says the lawyer (Hohenberg law firm). "In future, everyone in Graz must have the opportunity to obtain a development plan in good time. After all, this is the basis for the building permit procedure, which often takes years."

"Absurdity that cannot be surpassed"
Christian Kovac (Shopping Nord, Seifenfabrik etc.) has also had plenty of unpleasant encounters with the sluggish bureaucracy in Graz. "The absurdity of a high court having to intervene because laws are being ignored, apparently at political will." He calls on politicians to finally come up with concrete solutions to eliminate the backlog. But because he doesn't expect this to happen any time soon, he is hosting a major symposium at the Seifenfabrik on September 30. Title: "Urban development - why are we waiting?"