Explosive protocols

Environmental lawyer helping to clear forest in Ohlsdorf?

The first warehouses are built on the long abandoned gravel wasteland in Ohlsdorf.(Bild: Wolfgang Spitzbart)

The fact that 19 hectares of forest were cleared in Ohlsdorf for a company construction site without an environmental impact assessment has caused political waves and may have repercussions in court. The state's environmental lawyer, of all people, may have played a questionable role in the implementation of the project.  

An explosive Court of Auditors report, criminal investigations and lots of political debate: The "Ehrenfeld II" industrial construction area in Ohlsdorf has been a matter of public concern for almost two and a half years. The clearing of almost 19 hectares of forest was not carried out properly, as reported by the provincial court of auditors. The Salzburg public prosecutor's office is also investigating whether there is suspicion of abuse of authority and deliberate environmental damage.

Explosive minutes from the municipal council
In particular, the fact that this mega-project was not subjected to an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is increasingly being questioned. And this is where an unexpectedly explosive protagonist steps into the limelight: the country's environmental lawyer, Martin Donat. He is likely to have played a somewhat questionable role in the case given his function. Excerpts from the minutes of local council meetings from 2018, which are available to the "Krone", indicate that the environmental lawyer helped the project operator Asamer on the way to clearing the forest.

Ways of circumventing the EIA identified
Several passages refer to meetings between the project participants and Donat, the aim of which was "to ensure that the demand for an environmental impact assessment (...) is no longer upheld". In these discussions, the environmental lawyer apparently pointed out ways of avoiding an EIA - for example, by not graveling the rezoning area. Donat's request was ultimately complied with, as is recorded in the minutes - despite the fact that the regional planning department of the province had demanded graveling in the rezoning procedure.