Neighbors Protest

Discontent Over the New Industrial Site Behind the Cemetery

In eastern Wels, 3.5 hectares of green space will be turned into a parking lot and then into a business park.(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

In Wels, a new vote must be held on the rezoning of a 3.5-hectare green space into an industrial zone due to a procedural error. Recently, protests by local residents have grown increasingly vocal. They fear being overwhelmed by traffic. 

“Back to square one” is the verdict on the plans to rezone a roughly 3.5-hectare green space in eastern Wels. Specifically, the plan is to first build a massive parking lot for large events between the cemetery and the airfield, followed by a new industrial development zone. The city council had already passed a resolution in April for the necessary rezoning. However, the regional planning authority rejected the application due to a procedural error. Instead of the required scale of 1:10,000, Wels submitted the documents at a scale of 1:2,500.

New Vote
Next Monday, the city council will vote again—under very different circumstances. Local residents have been up in arms against the project for weeks. They feel blindsided. “We’re already surrounded by traffic; soon we’ll be suffocating in it,” complain some residents of the Eisenbahnersiedlung neighborhood. Ralf Drack, an independent city council member present at the meeting, nods in agreement. He plans to vote against the project this time: “Among other things, I think a traffic plan is missing; there are plenty of alternatives.”

Development, yes—but with responsibility, a sense of proportion, and in consultation with local residents, not over their heads. 

Miriam Faber, Grünen-Fraktionsobfrau

The Greens will now also vote against the rezoning—"symbolically," as they put it. Faction leader Miriam Faber also does not hold back on her criticism of the project and the WBA, Welser Betriebsansiedelungs GmbH, which acquired the property more than a year ago: “It can be sensible and efficient to outsource municipal tasks, such as business development. However, political responsibility must not be lost in the process. Clear guidelines are needed, especially when dealing with our city’s precious land. The residents’ discontent is clearly palpable. Anyone who presents citizens with a fait accompli must be asked where the communication went.”

WBA Director Peter Jungreithmair rejects the accusation of a lack of communication: “We announced the start of the project in a press release; the City Council meeting in April was open to the public; and when construction began in July, we installed information signs with relevant phone numbers on the site. Next week, there will also be an information session for local residents to help keep the debate objective.”

Many Rumors
However, it is completely far-fetched to suggest that the WBA wants to have houses demolished or is planning expropriations. “A corporate campus is being built with specific requirements—at least 60 jobs must be created per hectare,” said Jungreithmair.