Grossmarkthalle: Munich is looking for an investor again after five years - "Everything should have been ready by now"

Created: 04/27/2022, 20:38

By: Sascha Karowski

This is how the architects imagined the new wholesale market hall.

© Henn

The construction of the wholesale market hall is put out to tender.

The city council decided that.

Opposition parties criticized that nothing happened on the project for five years.

Munich - The wholesale market in Sendling has existed for 110 years.

There are now six sales halls, seven handling, storage and cooling halls, the wholesale flower market, the gardener's hall, two office buildings with almost 300 offices, the former sorting facility, the delicatessen hall and the fruit yard.

But the wholesale market is ailing.

In 2018, entire basements had to be cleared because an expert report saw life and limb in danger.

The new construction of the hall is therefore urgently required, but it is repeatedly delayed.

On Wednesday, the Munich City Council agreed to put the project out to tender.

Großmarkthalle Munich: Büschl and Stadtwerke have to apply for a new building

As reported, the city originally wanted to shoulder the construction itself.

In 2017, the CSU and SPD conceded the plans and wanted to look for an investor even then.

It seemed to have been found two years later with the Munich Wholesale Market (UGM) transhipment center.

Politicians were also impressed by this applicant because the city would not have had to advertise if the local dealers would build it themselves.

But the negotiations about a leasehold contract dragged on, and at the end of last year the Grünwalder group of investors Büschl (Parcel Post Hall) took over the UGM.

This changed the modalities.

The city now has to advertise the project across Europe, otherwise there will be problems with competition law.

In the meantime, the public utilities have also expressed an interest in building the hall so that they can possibly use the site - for example for electric charging systems for e-buses.

Green leader Anna Hanusch mourned the decision from 2017 in the plenary session to award the building to an investor.

"It would have been ideal if we had built it ourselves." It is clear, however, that everything will be done to keep the market in the city.

"It belongs to Sendling and is part of services of general interest."

Grossmarkthalle Munich: "We don't have time to knock everything over"

The goal of opening the new building in 2030 is ambitious, said SPD city councilor Kathrin Abele.

Nevertheless: "We no longer have time to throw everything over." The fact that the hall is in a desolate condition and that the city will have to invest several million euros in the next few years to at least maintain the status quo does not make it any easier.

"We have to see that the hall lasts until 2030."

CSU City Councilor Alexander Reissl welcomed the fact that there was again a majority for the investor model.

"When you consider how large the mountain of investment for the city of Munich is today, everyone should be happy if such a billion-euro project doesn't come along." The cost estimate includes not only the construction of the hall but also that of apartments and Offices.

Bayern Party City Councilor Richard Progl: "Everything should have been ready by now"

However, the city council had already hoped for faster progress in 2017 with the investor solution.

Bavarian party city councilor Richard Progl put his finger exactly in this wound: "Everything should have been ready by now." Nothing happened for five years.

"When we hear the contributions from the CSU and SPD, one might think that you weren't there at the time." In any case, he only agreed so as not to delay the project further.

Left and ÖDP voted against the award.

The factions would have preferred to see the city build itself.

Left boss Stefan Jagel: "I was irritated that in the meantime it was presented as if the city could only build corrugated iron huts."