"Victory of Reason": Conservationists happy about the end of "Asto-Eco-Park"

The Starnberg district group of the Bund Naturschutz (BN) and the Gilching alliance Pro Bannwald have noted the end of the “Asto-Eco-Park” in Unterbrunner Holz.

+

Around 400 citizens protested in September 2018 against the plans for an industrial park in Unterbrunner Holz.

© Stefan Schuhbauer-von Jena

Gauting / Gilching

- For Günter Schorn, Chairman of the Starnberg District Group of the Bund Naturschutz (BN), it is “a victory of reason”. The BN and the Pro Bannwald alliance in Gilching have taken note of the end of the “Asto-Eco-Park” in Unterbrunner Holz.

As reported, the community of Gauting is not pushing the plans for the industrial area further, but is relying on another area a few hundred meters further south-west immediately adjacent to the special airport Oberpfaffenhofen. "It's a win for Gauting, and the people of Gilching are keeping their local recreation area," Schorn explained. It is therefore possible "to reach compromises in talks and then really implement future-proof visions". For Schorn, this includes leaving protected landscape areas untouched, no longer clearing forests and sealing off meadows and natural areas - also for reasons of climate protection. The BN boss spoke of a “positive signal” that should set a precedent in the district as well as state and nationwide.

However, he also stated that he wanted to critically accompany the further planning at the point and closely monitor "whether the promises remain".

Christian Winklmeier as spokesman for the Pro Bannwald alliance made a similar statement.

"We are pleased that the factual, clear and long-term protest of many Gilching community and also many Starnberg district citizens has been crowned with success and that the local recreation area in Unterbrunner Holz remains protected," he said in a press release.

At the same time he asked the community of Gauting to assure "that the destruction of the Unterbrunn wood is off the table in the long term".

Winklmeier, who is the SPD councilor in Gilching, also announced that he would like to accompany the further process in a “critical and constructive” manner.

It is about "the exact demarcation between forest and industrial area", but also about topics such as the expansion of local public transport, the opening of the Weichselbaum S-Bahn station, the expansion of the roundabout at the industrial area Gilching-Süd, and the reforestation of partially destroyed forest areas east of the airport , a sufficient number of childcare options in the new industrial park and early involvement of the Gilching fire brigade, including financial support from Gauting.  

List of rubric lists: © Stefan Schuhbauer-von Jena