Where construction is planned, the joy of the neighbors is usually of a manageable size. It’s no wonder that citizens in Wilhering are currently concerned about a construction project in the Hitzing district. There, living space for around 1,000 people is to be created on six hectares of (still) agricultural land. The plans of a consortium of three developers that bought the two areas (Hitzing West and Hitzing East, note) not far from the Hitzinger intersection almost three years ago include apartments in houses up to four floors as well as terraced and semi-detached houses.
Not a square meter has yet been dedicated as building land, so the final decision lies with the Wilheringer local council, where the residential building plans were the subject of a citizens’ question time last week.
Fatal signal effect
If the ÖVP Wilhering has its way, then there is no green light for the project. “We are against the current project in Hitzing,” said Deputy Mayor Markus Langthaler and municipal councilor Franz Hohenbichler yesterday. Their argument: The dense development would have a signaling effect for the entire municipal area; this would then have to be made possible “for all building applicants in Schönering, Edramsberg, Reith and Wilhering.”
Another thorn in Langthaler’s side is that the dense development would completely contradict the village character of Wilhering. In addition, the population must be allowed to have a say and have a say in “a broad participation process” in both the dedication and the construction.
The People’s Party deduces from the 1,027 declarations of support that it received two years ago for the program “Village character with quality of life instead of dense development” that it developed before the election that the mood in the community is not exactly in favor of densification.
“Cautious further development”
The required “careful further development” of Wilhering is also a concern for Mayor Mario Mühlböck (SP). In the OÖN interview yesterday, he was surprised at the ÖVP’s no vote because they had always appeared together in the “past year and a half.” “We have already achieved some improvements in discussions with the property developers,” said Mühlböck. A reduction in the number of floors from five to four has already been achieved in the project plans. And: “It is completely clear that we can only build on this site the way we as a community want it and not the way the cooperatives want it.”
The municipality of Wilhering is also waiting for a study to be commissioned to determine what a settlement with more people would mean for the infrastructure (water, sewer, child care, schools). “If we also have this data, then we can discuss calmly and objectively in the local council about whether or not we agree to the conversion of the two areas into building land,” said the mayor of Wilhering.
“Argument” local transport
For Mühlböck, the decision on the housing plans should also be seen in the light of the state’s planned expansion of the Dörnbach-Hitzing stop into a new local transport hub. Proximity to public transport is crucial for many younger people when choosing where to live. For Deputy Mayor Langthaler, the transport project has nothing to do with the housing project.
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Author
Reinhold Gruber
Local editor Linz
Reinhold Gruber
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