The focus: criticism of the renovation work on the Palais Clam-Gallas

The focus: criticism of the renovation work on the Palais Clam-Gallas

In the heart of the Alsergrund, the renovation work on the Palais Clam Gallas, the future seat of the Embassy of Katar, began. This historic building, which was previously possessed by France and was sold to the Qatar embassy for an estimated 30 million euros in 2016, has been attracting the attention of the district chief since the start of the renovation work. The environmental and tree protection standards do not seem to be adequately observed during the work.

On Thursday, November 28th, district chief Saya Ahmad and her deputy Christian Sapetschnig (both SPÖ) gathered in front of the Palais to point out the grievances in dealing with the trees growing there. The district chief expressed concerns about the inadequate protective measures and the damage that occurred during the construction work. A local inspection in September 2024 found that several trees were in a worrying state, which suggests suspicion of poor building practices.

lack of care in tree protection

The handling of the trees is now referred to as "ruthless disregard" of the necessary tree protection. District head Ahmad emphasized that, given the current climate crisis, it was incomprehensible how the embassy of Qatar deals with trees on her site. It called for an immediate implementation of the applicable tree protection regulations to prevent the trees from further atrophy.

Some of the damage documented during the inspection report is due to the use of construction equipment and the associated shock of the soil. The district executive sees a clear violation of the applicable standards, since the safety precautions were not sufficient to protect the trees.

Communication between the district head and the Qatar embassy is difficult. The message has not yet responded to an inquiry to the allegations. Sobald es Neuigkeiten gibt, werden Diese über die Plattform MeinBezirk kommuniziert.

public and green spaces

The Palais Clam Gallas is not only a historic building, but also surrounded by a valuable green area that has been used for various cultural events in the past. After selling the property, the wish grew among the residents to continue to use the site for public purposes. The district head had hoped that the Qatar embassy opened the area permanently.

According to the cataric message in July, the site should continue to be available for cultural events in order to promote friendly relationships between Austria and Qatar. However, this remains to be seen, especially with regard to the continuous discussion about the protection and preservation of the trees on site.