Füssen - A huge stone fell from Sandra Ringmann's heart on Tuesday.
Because the master plan procedure for their pony and horse ranch in Weißensee will be continued.
"We are extremely grateful and surprised that it turned out that way," said Ringmann when asked by the messenger.
With 14: 9 votes, the city council had previously rejected an application from Füssen-Land to discontinue the proceedings after a tough struggle.
Because basically the councils agreed: building without a permit should not be rewarded.
However, since the operation is a valuable recreational facility for local children, the majority of local politicians wanted to continue the process.
In the discussion, however, it was already becoming apparent that the councils would be stricter than before.
The future of the pony and horse ranch has raised emotions over the past few weeks. On the one hand there were enthusiastic riders who were passionate about maintaining the facility, on the other hand there were the critics who insisted on compliance with the legal provisions and sharply condemned the subsequent legalization of illegal buildings. After all, the courtyard is not only located outside, but also in an area that is sensitive to nature conservation.
When the current owner took over the property, there was already a letter from the Ostallgäu district office stating that structural expansion was not permitted there. "The house is approved and the large riding arena is approved," informed Mayor Maximilian Eichstetter (CSU). From 2017, according to information from the Ostallgäu district office, a riding arena, a hay store, two horse stables, a manure container, a paddock and parking spaces were added. In addition, the horse stable was expanded to include a terrace, lounges, patio, workshop and a playground - and all of this without a building permit.
Because the city council saw the facility as educationally valuable, in 2019 it unanimously gave the green light to draw up a development plan for the area. The aim was to secure the facility, taking into account the nature conservation framework as well as the location and landscape.
The town hall chief said he could understand the application from Füssen-Land. But: "If we had wanted to pull the ripcord, then we would have had to do it between 2016 and 2018." That is why he appealed to continue the master plan procedure. However, he emphasized: “We will not accept black buildings. Parts have to be torn off. ”The task now is to steer the whole thing in an orderly manner. The current development plan only envisages a very limited area that can be built on. "The development plan was tightened even more over the summer," said the town hall chief. In addition, contractual penalties should be stipulated in the urban development contract if the operator violates the regulations. In addition, the city of Füssen is to receive a right of first refusal for the area. The town hall chief is convincedthat an "adequate operation with a few ponies can function here."
Important facility
The Free Voters faction was of the same opinion.
She was surprised that Füssen-Land had applied for the proceedings to be discontinued, even though the electoral group at the time had also supported the establishment of the development plan.
"The pony and horse ranch is an important addition to the leisure offer," emphasized group leader Christine Fröhlich.
“The zoning plan procedure is not there to retrospectively legalize unapproved facilities, but to create building permits and provide a narrow framework.” The current plan is much more narrowly defined than the original.
In the meantime, no more apartments are planned and an expansion of the business is no longer possible.
According to the assessment of the water management office, a former moor area has already been irreparably destroyed.
“It cannot be restored by dismantling it.
The injustice will not be cured. ”But the owner now has to ensure a certain balance and thus meet higher requirements than others.
"It certainly cannot be used as a blueprint for other things," said Fröhlich.
Therefore, your group is in favor of a continuation of the zoning plan procedure.
Find a compromise
The CSU parliamentary group wanted that too, albeit to a lesser extent, as Nicole Eikmeier emphasized.
"We completely reject the development plan as it looks in its current form," said Simon Hartung.
“It's about justice.
If someone disregards the rules in this way and is rewarded with a development plan, that is unfair. ”At the same time, however, the matter can only be resolved properly using a land-use plan procedure.
Therefore, a continuation on a reduced scale is a good compromise, Eickmeier found.
Füssen-Land judged the situation very differently.
"We are sticking to our application," said Niko Schulte.
Ultimately, nothing has changed in the facts.
If the process continues, it will be a punishment for anyone who obtains building permits for their projects in advance.
In addition, in 2019, when the development plan was initiated, the city council had no idea what had happened there.
The fact that the floor in the riding arena was also replaced, although it had been discussed shortly beforehand, "shot the bird," said Schulte.
“You can't go on like this,” was his conclusion.
Wolfgang Bader was on the same page.
“According to the water management office, valuable ecological areas have been irretrievably destroyed.
That doesn't work, ”said the Green City Council.
With a continuation of the proceedings, the city would set a precedent.
"We open the door to imitators." The city should not measure with double standards.
We open the door to imitators.
Wolfgang Bader, Greens
The SPD saw it that way too. “We fully support Füssen-Land,” said Erich Nieberle on behalf of his parliamentary group. He contradicted the statement of his previous speakers that no illegal buildings should be legalized retrospectively - because that is exactly what the city council is doing with this procedure. "The comparison of what has been approved and what has not been approved is quite a disproportionate." Even a tent that has been standing for longer than three months is considered a building - and permission must be obtained for that.
In the end, however, the electoral group was unsuccessful with their application.
After a brief break in the session in order to be able to think everything over exactly, only Füssen-Land, the SPD parliamentary group, Hans-Jörg Adam (Free Voters), Dr.
Christoph Böhm (CSU) and Wolfgang Bader to discontinue the proceedings.
For ranch owner Sandra Ringmann, the time of uncertainty seems to be over.
She thanked Eichstetter and all the city councilors who supported the continuation of the process.
"We are very happy," said Ringmann.
She admits that she made mistakes in the past. But this was not done deliberately. According to her, there is only one black den on her ranch. “This is a shelter for the horses. A shed. ”The surface of the not yet approved riding arena had to be replaced at short notice for safety reasons. A conditional approval of the district office was available for this. In addition, the moor was destroyed in the 1970s, long before she acquired the property.
But now she would like to look into the future and work with the town hall chief, city administration and city councilors to find a solution that everyone can live with.
"When we sit down at a round table, I believe that we can do something good," Ringmann is convinced.
"We look forward to a constructive cooperation with the city."
