The work has already been going on for over eight years. Much has been done, some unforeseen has occurred, two loans totaling 335,000 francs have been approved. But the financial means have been exhausted, the overall revision of the land use planning in Birr will be more expensive than originally expected. Another additional loan of 495,000 francs is up for discussion at the community meeting next Friday.
The general revision of the land use planning represents a central element for future-oriented development for the municipality, the municipal council notes. “It’s a generation project.” Even the canton, the authority adds, has declared “Eigenamt / Birrfeld” to be a development focus of cantonal importance.
The master plan “Industrieareal Grossacher und Grändel” commissioned by ABB Immobilien AG provides for the settlement of various companies and the creation of up to 4,500 jobs over the next few decades.
In addition, the local council continues, various building projects are being planned by private landowners and investors, which will be implemented after the new building and use regulations come into effect. In short: the completion of the overall revision should therefore be pushed ahead quickly.
Some of the work was complex and time-consuming
At the end of September 2019, the planning documents were submitted for the cantonal preliminary examination. A technical opinion is now available. The municipal council cites the changes in the law, the complex and time-consuming master plan for Wyde-Neumatt-Bachtalen, the additional municipal master plan for transport, the cancellation of special usage plans, the preparation of planning data according to the cantonal data model and process support as reasons for the additional expenditure. In other words: it required additional clarifications as well as time-consuming meetings and negotiations. The local council speaks of a “process that can be strongly influenced from outside”.
After the approval of the additional credit, the planned further procedure reads, the outstanding points of the technical opinion are processed so that the final cantonal preliminary examination report can be obtained. As a result, the participation procedure and the public edition are carried out.
Finally, the resolution is to be passed by the municipal assembly and the land use plan can be submitted to the canton for approval. “Depending on the course of the procedure, the number of objections and the resolution of the issues that are still open, the scheduling is continuously checked and, if necessary, adjusted in time,” explains the local council.
Contributions are still pending for the project
According to the authorities, the current expenditure is around 580,000 francs, the total expenditure is expected to amount to around 830,000 francs. Contributions from the landowners to the Wyde-Neumatt-Bachtalen master plan have already been received, and the cantonal contributions that can be claimed after completion are outstanding.
Additional loans are to be resolved on a gross basis, explains the municipal council, even if only additional costs of around CHF 250,000 will be incurred. (mhu)
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