The municipality of Krailling could significantly expand its KIM (Kraillinger Innovation Mile) industrial park in the next few years. Mayor Rudolph Haux does not want to take this big step without taking the citizens with him. On Tuesday, the municipal council is to decide to carry out a council request on this issue.
Krailling – The idea is not entirely new, but the approach and, above all, the concrete urgency are. As early as 2016, the municipality of Krailling had decided to commission a feasibility study. It was to deal with a possible expansion of the exhausted KIM industrial estate on the one hand by a 4.3 hectare area between Robert-Stirling-Ring and Pentenrieder Straße, and on the other hand by the 22-hectare area around the so-called former antenna field. Both areas are located in the landscape conservation area and are subject to the Bannwald Ordinance. They are thus currently withdrawn from the planning sovereignty of the municipality, emphasized in 2016 the planner Nikolaus Brandmair from the Topos office, who was involved in the KIM development plan. A clearing permit presupposes that equivalent replacement areas are created.
This is exactly what is to happen now. As Krailling's spokeswoman Solveig Butzert announced on Tuesday at Merkur's request, the possible expansion area now envisaged for the industrial park is seven hectares in the eastern connection to KIM (Lise-Meitner-Straße), i.e. around one third of the 22-hectare antenna field. "These seven hectares are to be developed into commercial space," says Butzert. In return, the entire remaining area of 15 hectares is planned as an eco-account forest. Part of the antenna field is already owned by the municipality of Krailling for this very purpose.
Justifying this step, Solveig Butzert said there was an urgent need for more commercial space. The town hall would receive inquiries again and again – be it from companies that are already based there, which would have to expand due to their success, or from companies that would like to relocate to the Kraillinger Innovation Mile. Both are practically no longer possible today, but from the point of view of the community they are desirable.
This is all the more acutely true against the background of the greatest financial difficulties of the municipality of Krailling, which is urgently dependent on growing revenues. "Defective windows, a stuttering heating system, a leaking gymnasium roof – a complete renovation or even a new construction of our primary school would actually be urgently needed. But there is no money for that," Mayor Rudolph Haux recently wrote in a publication to all households. In addition, there are dozens of missing childcare places and a building yard that had to be shut down in March due to serious deficiencies. Since then, some of the machines and equipment have been outdoors. Whether the buildings will be demolished or renovated has not yet been decided. One thing is clear: in both cases, it means an investment in the range of millions – which the municipality does not have. "The municipality is therefore intensively looking for ways to improve its financial situation through sales and business settlements," Haux said in last week's announcement.
The important decision as to whether the municipal council will initiate a council request for the KIM expansion has not been discussed in advance in any sub-committee of the municipal council, not even behind closed doors. Rather, the municipal administration prepared the issue at the suggestion of Mayor Haux, and he put it directly on the agenda of the public meeting of the municipal council on Tuesday, June 13 (from 19 p.m.). Whether there will be a majority for this remains exciting. Solveig Butzert said in an interview with Merkur: "This is a long-term project. There will certainly be a discussion, but I don't dare to predict the outcome."
During a discussion in the municipal council about an expansion of the industrial park in 2016, opinions regarding the antenna field were still widely divided. Eleonore Zwißler (CSU) spoke of "megalomania" at the time, Adrienne Akontz (Greens) feared a further loss of quality of life, Rudolf Heidrich (FBK) saw the infrastructure as insufficient. Richard Siebler (CSU) and Sebastian Sefzig (FDP) were in favour of at least exploring the possibilities. In the vote, ten local councillors voted in favour of including the area around the former antenna field in the feasibility study, nine against.
A council petition is – analogous to the citizens' petition – an instrument to bring about a referendum on an important municipal issue. In the case of a council request, the municipal council initiates the procedure, not the citizenry. In the Kraillinger case, a vote (referendum) could take place at the earliest in the autumn of this year, thanks to prescribed deadlines and procedures.
