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Error in the planning committee: Khleslplatz development is faltering!
On August 27, 2025, a formal error in the planning process for Khleslplatz in Vienna will be corrected. Citizen participation remains central.
Error in the planning committee: Khleslplatz development is faltering!
On August 27, 2025, it was announced that a formal error in the planning committee's administrative process regarding the dedication of Khleslplatz in Meidling would be corrected. The error involved the late dispatch of the business item for the Planning Committee on June 18, 2025. This error will be corrected at the meeting on September 2, 2025 and plan document No. 8387 will be placed back on the agenda. According to the city administration, however, this process has no impact on the content or the residents of the area.
Vienna is currently facing significant population growth, which is increasing the need for housing and infrastructure, especially in the areas of education and green spaces. The urban development plan takes these challenges into account and provides for a new zoning and development plan for Khleslplatz, which is intended to protect the historical ensemble as well as the adjacent green space. This plan also allows for the construction of a high school in the district. The public's suggestions were responded to by deciding to reduce the number by one building class and to expand the protection zone.
Protests and citizen participation
A key point of criticism is that the Petitions Committee only dealt with the petition on June 27, two days after the decision. The initiator Dieter Holiday described the process as “symbolic without substance” and sees citizen participation as insufficient. The planned development is seen as a threat to the high quality of stay at Khleslplatz, and the decision disrupts the protection of the protection zone and the 2035 urban development plan.
Demands and measures
The initiative calls for a limitation of the building height to a maximum of 3.5 meters in order to avoid changes to existing buildings, as well as transparent procedures and a separation of dedication procedures. The lack of transparency on the part of the city government and the refusal of information by the MA 21 are also criticized. Against the background of the planned high-rise buildings, which are to be up to 13.5 meters high, the disproportion to the school buildings, which are limited to 12 meters, is pointed out. The initiative states that the rezoning primarily serves the interests of private investors without offering any social or urban development added value.
Overall, the chronology of the process is viewed as an example of systemic failure in citizen participation, which calls for more participation in urban planning. In this context, it is important to emphasize that the City of Vienna has been pursuing the “Participatory Urban Development Master Plan” since 2017 in order to ensure the early involvement of citizens in municipal projects and to incorporate their local knowledge and needs into the planning.
To promote citizen participation, the city has taken measures such as using digital offerings and face-to-face meetings to reach different target groups. The principles and rules for citizen participation are binding and are intended to help balance different interests better in order to arrive at optimal solutions in urban planning.
More information about current developments around Khleslplatz and citizen participation can be found at presse.wien.gv.at, ots.at and wien.gv.at be read.