Resistance to gravel mining in the Bannwald

Created: 05/15/2022, 21:31

By: Nicole Kalenda

Fighting against gravel mining in the Bannwald: the participants in the "rush demo" on Friday evening in front of Planegg's town hall.

© Dagmar Rutt

Bernhard Glück Kies-Sand-Hartstein GmbH from Graefelfing is allowed to gravel out another 2.1 hectares east of the composting plant in Planegg.

The area is part of the Bannwalds.

This brings the opponents of gravel mining in the Würmtal on the barricades.

Planegg –

On Friday evening, around 45 participants came to a demonstration that had been scheduled at short notice in front of Planegg's town hall.

The local group Würmtal Nord of the Bund Naturschutz, Grünzug Netzwerk Würmtal and Greenpeace Munich had called for this.

"Trees instead of concrete" could be read on posters, or "No future without trees".

450 meters southeast of the residential development

The evening before, at the meeting of the main, finance and culture committee of the Planegger municipal council, it was announced that the district office had approved the application for gravel mining with backfilling this spring.

Less than 24 hours later, people gathered for the “urgent demonstration against gravel mining and for forest preservation in the forest box”, as information from the organizers was headed.

South of the composting facility, grit has been used for years, and Glück would also like to set up a recycling facility for building materials there.

The newly approved quarrying area is located around 450 meters south-east of the nearest residential development in Grund.

In 1993 Glück first applied for the area to be silted out.

This had been rejected by the district office, and the municipality of Planegg had also refused to agree.

Glück let the matter rest for almost 25 years, and in 2017 the company applied for gravel extraction again.

In the meantime, the legal situation had changed: in the 1990s, the clearing of protective forest was only permitted for forestry reasons, but now also for gravel extraction, provided "that an area of ​​at least the same size and equivalent area is afforested adjacent to the clearing as a replacement will".

This is what it says in the July 2017 meeting proposal of the municipal council.

With 11:8, the municipal council approved the Glück application under certain conditions.

He argued that the forest was "heavily infested with giant hogweed" and was already showing "the first signs of ash dieback," according to the proposed resolution.

On the other hand, the entire FDP parliamentary group, including Peter von Schall-Riaucour, today PP&M, who also took part in the demo on Friday.

"It is sad to see what is happening to the environment around Planegg.

We have to put a stop to this," said von Schall-Riaucour.

Eva Schreier (gG21) from the Planegger municipal council was also present in front of the town hall, and Mathias Walterspiel (CSU faction) from Krailling.

"People left out again"

In their demo call, the opponents argued that after the so-called climate judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court in April 2021, a decision that was made in 2017 “must be withdrawn, taking into account the climate crisis”.

"We call for the documents to be checked again and for independent reports," says Malwina Andrassy, ​​acting chairwoman of the local group Würmtal Nord of the Bund Naturschutz.

She was "very surprised" by the approval.

Andrassy: “Nothing moves the people of Würmtal like gravel quarrying.

Now the people have been left out again.” She expresses the hope that she can still prevent the gravel quarrying.

Next, the Bund Naturschutz would like to invite “all Würmtal local councilors and mayors” to a walk through the forest.

"You shall see for yourself this forest and the consequences

The Glück company now has five years to start dismantling, otherwise the permit will expire.

According to Glück Managing Director Markus Wahl, nothing will happen before 2023.

First, the 2.1-hectare arable land north of the composting facility and the new mining area will be reforested, which will serve as a replacement area.

Four years remain happiness for the filling, five years for the recultivation.

A biotope with ponds and stone surfaces is planned, which will provide a habitat for amphibians and dormouse in particular.

The gravel is transported away via the existing Glück conveyor belt, which is being extended above ground for this purpose.