Endless construction proceedings

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Hannes Schreiner files a lawsuit against the City of Graz.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

The inactivity of the city planning office is now taking the Styrian capital to court: entrepreneur Hannes Schreiner has now filed a lawsuit. This is not the only court case currently occupying the lawyers of the City of Graz.

Almost eight years of waiting are enough. In 2017, Hannes Schreiner (Technopark Raaba) applied for a development plan for a plot of land near Graz Central Station. However, although the law states that this must be issued within 18 months, Schreiner still does not have it on his desk. An unacceptable situation for him - and for AVL too. As reported, the flagship company wants to set up 300 offices on the site, including training workshops.

Last year, Schreiner achieved his first important victory: the Constitutional Court lifted the development plan obligation. Now the 29-year-old is going one better: On Thursday, he filed a lawsuit against the City of Graz at the Regional Court for Civil Matters: It is about a claim for official liability in the amount of exactly 465,663.25 euros - as well as a request for a declaratory judgment for further claims for damages.

Due to the existing construction freeze and the still uncertain start of construction, the damage incurred cannot yet be quantified. However, according to a preliminary assessment by an expert, this will be in the tens of millions, according to Schreiner. Unofficially, there is even talk of around 20 million euros that the city would have to pay in the worst-case scenario.

"Authorities must abide by the law"
"We want to set a precedent with this lawsuit," the project developer clarifies. "It's also about restoring faith in the rule of law, that authorities must adhere to legal deadlines."

This is not the only legal dispute currently keeping the city's lawyers busy. Since January, a lawsuit filed by the Haring Group (Messequadrant) has also been in court: the amount in dispute here is around 3.5 million euros. This means that the city's tight coffers could be faced with heavy fines.