New tunnel for super rich? Porsche beats waves in Salzburg!

New tunnel for super rich? Porsche beats waves in Salzburg!

Wolfgang Porsche, grandson of the legendary automotive pioneer Ferdinand Porsche, recently received approval for the construction of a private tunnel by the Kapuzinerberg in Salzburg. The project connected to an underground car park has a volume of around 10 million euros and provides to park up to nine vehicles under the historic Villa Paschinger Schlössl, which Porsche acquired and renovated five years ago. The entrance to the underground car park is planned in a public parking garage in the city center, while the tunnel is 500 meters length that will lead through the Kapuzinerberg. This approval was granted by the construction committee of the city of Salzburg, despite the raised voices of critics such as the Greens, who speak of a "special treatment for super -rich" and a comprehensive examination. The city argues that the tunnel represents a "normal access" and therefore no separate approval is required, such as NZZ reported.

The procedure showed that a majority in the local council was for the project. While the Social Democrats, the ÖVP and the FPÖ agreed to the project without further examination of the tunnel, the Greens and parts of the communists rejected the decision. However, the state of Salzburg also has an approval, where further circles are requesting an examination of the project. Martin Zauner from the FPÖ signaled a fundamentally positive attitude towards the construction project that raises questions about social justice. An activist group came to the plan of citizens, which brought a petition against the tunnel with more than 19,000 signatures, which speaks of social injustice.

A special feature of the property is that the Villa Paschinger Schlössl was once the residence of the famous writer Stefan Zweig. This historical dimension certainly also attracts the interest of numerous residents and tourists. The construction of the tunnel and the underground car park could be delayed by the continued protests and possible building law complaints. The Greens have agreed to support the residents if they want to take action against the project. The discussion about the construction project fits into a broader context of building permits in Austria, where the development and approval of residential projects are regularly documented. Statistics Austria performs such building permits since 2010 and addresses the challenges in construction activity in the country.

Overall, the case around Wolfgang Porsche and his construction project shows how violent the fronts run in Salzburg in terms of urbanism and social justice. While some report a hoped -for upgrading of the district through the building, others raise their fingers against the supposed preference of wealthy individuals.