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Keystone-SDA
Roger Federer has decided not to build a boathouse in front of his future villa in Rapperswil-Jona (SG), on the shores of Lake Zurich. Two weeks ago, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) appealed the authorization it had been granted.
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October 30, 2024 – 4:26 p.m.
(Keystone-ATS) The refusal of the former world tennis star to build the hangar is the result of an agreement with the FOEN, the town of Rapperswil-Jona said on Wednesday. On the other hand, the Basel resident will be able to decontaminate and renature the bank on his land, demolish the current boarding ramp, build a new pontoon and install a new access channel. The office did not appeal these elements of the project.
Water protection
Contacted by Keystone-ATS, the FOEN emphasizes that “the construction of a boathouse would violate the federal law on water protection. » This legislation only allows the construction of small facilities along rivers or lakes.
At the beginning of September, the town of Rapperswil-Jona gave construction permission to Roger Federer after rejecting any opposition to the boathouse project. The canton did the same. The FOEN reacted to this green light by filing an appeal with the federal authorities, which made Roger Federer give in.
The role of Rives Publiques
The proposed boathouse at the edge of the land purchased by the retired sportsman had long caused uproar. It had already given rise to four opposition procedures. The Rives Publiques association, committed to free access to the shores of the lakes, was one of the main actors.
Roger Federer’s purchase of a 17,000 m2 plot of land on the shores of Lake Zurich, in Rapperswil-Jona, was made public in 2019. Six buildings are currently under construction there. Oppositions, questions related to the area plan, a dispute regarding public access to banks as well as the pandemic have delayed the construction site several times.
