Controversy around Gallitzinstrasse: Talks about construction projects in Ottakring
Controversy around Gallitzinstrasse: Talks about construction projects in Ottakring
In the past few weeks, the political agenda in Ottakring was characterized by intensive discussions, especially at the last meetings of the district council before the summer break began. The focus was on the construction on Gallitzinstraße 8-16, which provided considerable tensions between the political parties.
In June, the Ottakring government said goodbye after a meeting in which several applications were for discussion. Some applications were sent to the magistrate's office to check their feasibility, which fueled expectations that were loudly discussed in the following session. The main actor on the opposition was above all the ÖVP, while the SPÖ and the Greens often disagreed with the statements of the People's Party. Interestingly, the FPÖ held back in these disputes.
The dispute over Gallitzinstrasse
The most striking point of the session was a resolution application from the ÖVP, which demanded that the green areas and forests in Ottakring protect the green areas and forests. The application aimed to prevent construction projects such as that in Gallitzinstrasse 8-16. Stefan Trotner, the district party chairman of the ÖVP, criticized the position of the Greens and accused them of presenting themselves as environmentalists, but at the same time to release large areas for construction projects.
In the discussion, Thomas Brandstätter from the SPÖ spoke up and rejected the claims of the ÖVP. He made it clear that Gallitzinstrasse was not meadow areas, but that there was a nursery and a restaurant that had not been used for a long time. Therefore, this area should be regarded as a building land. Green representative Konrad Loimer described the argumentation of the ÖVP as a "voodoo policy", the lack of basis, while the other parties refused to apply for the votes of the ÖVP, FPÖ and Team HC Strache.
unity over green spaces and line 2
In contrast to the heated debate about Gallitzinstrasse, there was agreement on the resolution of the Greens, which was committed to the long -term preservation of the green spaces in the district. This application was recommended by the responsible magistrate department to accept it and received approval from all parties.Another application by the FPÖ entitled "Democracy defend", which was supposed to set a clear sign against extremism, met the sharp criticism of the Greens. Zerifen Yatkin, the club chairwoman of the Greens, commented that the FPÖ was connected to racism and right -wing extremism, and that their application is not very credible, since one could not simply speak against something that is underpinned. This application was also rejected against the votes of FPÖ, ÖVP and Team HC Strache.
Finally, the parties agreed that line 2 must be improved. An application from the SPÖ, which demanded from the Viennese lines to condense the intervals and increase the number of sets, was unanimously accepted. This step is intended to increase the attractiveness of line 2 and a further step to improve public transport in the district.
The discussions in the district council have shown how controversial the topics related to new buildings and nature conservation in Ottakring, and it remains to be seen how this dynamic will develop in the future. Details on these developments are also in a detailed report on www.meinbezirk.at to read.