The tiresome story about the Zurich stadium project never ends.
Good atmosphere in the new “Hardturm”: football fans will have to wait a long time for that.
Things are looking so good for the Zurich football fans. In July, after an agonizingly long time, the federal court rejected two voting rights complaints that blocked the project for a new stadium on the Hardturm site. But the joy of the fans and the clubs FCZ and GC did not last long.
As the “Blick” reports, appeals have again been lodged against the design plan for the construction project with a stadium, two high-rise buildings and a cooperative settlement. This time on the very last day on which opponents in the stadium could protest – on Friday at the end of the appeal period. The City of Zurich Building Department confirms the receipt of two complaints before the Building Appeals Court, the responsible legal authority.
The city of Zurich voters had previously said yes to the project called “Ensemble” twice – once to a building lease agreement in November 2018, once to the design plan in September 2020. Both times the privately financed project achieved clear majorities in front of the people.
How long the renewed appeals delay the construction project depends on the speed of the courts and the will to persevere or the understanding of the complainant. If the appellants go all the way through the courts and the judges take their time, there can be a delay of three years or more.
The waiting time does not bode well for the two Zurich football clubs FCZ and GC: For two decades they have been longing for moving into a new stadium, which has always seemed within reach thanks to various projects. They want a better atmosphere in a “witch’s cauldron” without an athletics track like today in the Letzigrund. Above all, however, they expect additional income because they can operate the new stadium on their own account.
Those responsible for the project have repeatedly emphasized that during the planning phase they “sometimes also considered hopeless legal objections that would prolong the implementation”. For the population, sports fans and people who want to rent an apartment or commercial space on the site, the situation is “very annoying” – especially since it is often a matter of a few recurring tenants and their particular interests.
The opponents of the stadium have even more opportunities to object: once the design plan has become legally binding, a building permit will be issued based on it. This can be contested again up to the highest instance.