No rezoning

End for planned building plots on greenfield sites

A new housing estate should be built here.

(Bild: Martin Kratky)

30 plots for young families were to be designated as building land in Türnitz. But the previously planned local development has now been abruptly halted - the state has given the project a negative assessment! The head of the village is outraged.

An area of 3.7 hectares next to the main village of the municipality of Türnitz in the district of Lilienfeld was to be rededicated to more than 30 building plots in order to remain attractive as a place to live for young families. For months, Helga Krismer, spokesperson for the Green Party, and Martin Kratky, a second homeowner, have been fighting against the new 1000-page plan for the future drawn up by a spatial planner commissioned by the municipality. The main accusation is that the new development is about to seal off a particularly valuable meadow area, while vacant properties in the town center are not being made more attractive.

Helga Krismer and Martin Kratky spoke out in favor of the green meadow.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Grüne NÖ Peter Denk)

Objections to the rezoning
Now the state has given a negative assessment of the Türnitz development plan for the next 15 to 20 years. "Concrete instead of trees! It would have been a blatant fall from grace in the state's spatial planning and not contemporary local spatial planning," says Krismer, who personally submitted a negative statement to the town hall. This is because the Greens are not represented on the municipal council in Türnitz. Local resident Kratky also criticized the fact that the planning of the new settlement was "hidden" as much as possible.

Only minimal soil sealing?
Mayor Christian Leeb (ÖVP), however, is shocked by the negative assessment of the state. "I think it's cheeky that the decision was made in this way. Our plan also envisaged rededicating many natural areas as compensation," says the head of the village, referring to less than half a hectare of additional sealing despite 30 new building plots. In addition, there are virtually no vacancies in the village.

A number of young families are now being forced to move away from Türnitz as a result.

Christian Leeb, ÖVP-Bürgermeister von Türnitz

Bild: Gemeinde Türnitz

Frustration at the municipal office
 "They don't even know what they are doing to a community. Not only are we losing a number of young families who are now forced to move away, but it's also a disaster for tourism as there are no vacation apartments," says Leeb, visibly frustrated. He doesn't even want to talk about traffic relief and accident prevention through better roads, he concludes.