Only 0.02 percent of Austria’s area is sealed each year, so when it comes to land consumption, in principle “everything is in the green,” said Norbert Hartl, the state construction industry guildmaster, at a press conference on Thursday.
The next day, Upper Austria’s Greens reacted with criticism. “There is definitely nothing in the green area when it comes to soil protection,” said state parliament member Rudi Hemetsberger: “If soil consumption continues like this, our food security will be gone in the foreseeable future.” And a land consumption limit does not mean a construction stop. It should be renovated and expanded; existing areas should be used.
Franz Koppelstätter, head of the afo architekturforum Oberösterreich, calls for land consumption not to be based on the total area of the country, but rather on the permanent settlement area. This makes up 55 percent, the rest is forest, water and mountains. “Calculated in this way, the percentage of used land that can no longer be used for agriculture doubles.”
They are also in favor of “sensible” reduction measures, says Hartl.
