Can lake residents be dispossessed in order to build a continuous riverside path? This dispute is currently causing a stir in the Swiss Alps.
Zurich – Residents see a “debate of envy” and fear that they will soon have to live in a “monkey cage”. An initiative for a continuous riverside path along Lake Zurich is causing a huge stir in Switzerland. Particularly exciting: possible expropriation of lake property owners.
“It is everyone’s right to enjoy the idyll right on the lake,” says Julia Gerber Rüegg to srf. She was for the Social Democratic Party in the Zurich Cantonal Council and is now President of the Committee for the Shore Initiative. The initiative calls for a continuous path on the shore of Lake Zurich. But how exactly this should happen is not specified. The advantages from the initiative's perspective: All citizens can use the lake, which actually belongs to the public. It is also argued that flora and fauna that have been disturbed by development would be protected.
Scandal at the Alpine lake: riverside path plan causes a stir
Currently leading loudly srf There is a path along the lake for almost 26 kilometers. This corresponds to around half of the entire bank area. For another twelve kilometers the path runs along the Seestrasse sidewalk. The path is interrupted directly on the bank for almost 12.6 kilometers. There are houses right on the lake here. And it is precisely these lake properties that are a thorn in the side of the initiative. If necessary, they should also be expropriated.
According to supporters, this is concession land, i.e. land that has been given away by the canton, often on the condition that it must be returned for the use of roads and paths. That's why landowners aren't even entitled to compensation, advocates say srf. They estimate that the continuous lakeside path would cost almost 100 million francs.
Expropriations at the Alpine lake for a riverside path? Half a billion possible for compensation
The Zurich government council, on the other hand, expects costs of 500 million francs. The difference arises primarily because of compensation payments for the current landowners. Loud 20min.ch A sum of up to 460 million francs in compensation was mentioned.
The initiators of the project are trivializing the consequences, says a resident 20min.ch. There would be a big impact on the landowners if pedestrians were to walk along a path along the lakeshore: “You are exposed and can no longer stay in the garden. In the apartment it's like being in a monkey cage. That would be uncomfortable.” A privacy screen from the view of pedestrians would deprive residents of their own view of the lake. The man doesn't see that as an option. “It is absolutely unreasonable to carry out such a route here,” says the resident. He is not generally against a sea route. In his opinion, people should also stay at the lake. However, he sees a completely continuous riverside path as a “costly constraint”. In addition, property values would also decrease because of the riverside path.
Alpine lake expropriation? Residents see “costly coercion”
In general, he thinks that it would be making things too easy for oneself if one assumes: “We have to get one over on these few rich people with their magnificent villas.” That's partly how the debate seems to him. This
idea ignores reality. He doesn't consider himself one of the “rich” but sees himself as a completely normal citizen. The option of being expropriated for the riverside path is particularly tough: one is the legal owner of the land, according to a resident. “It’s a huge operation.” The plan was “absolutely disproportionate,” said her husband.
“I’m glad that everyone enjoys going to the lake. I also like going to the lake. But it doesn’t have to be 100 percent right on the lake,” another resident told the portal. “I can see what a mess this is. “Nature is suffering,” he continues, countering the initiators’ argument that the natural and plant world is being protected with the riverside path. Many opponents of the initiative argue that hordes of tourists would not help the flora and fauna. They also state: For a lakeside path, everything must first be destroyed before it can be rebuilt. In this respect, the path would initially lead to more development.
The residents also point out that a large part of the lake is already accessible to everyone. There are swimming areas and even a campsite right on the lake. They see a “culture of envy.” On the other hand, a resident who supports the riverside path says opposite 20min.chthat public interest in the lake has changed since the properties were sold to private individuals. There is now a “public need” to make the lake accessible everywhere and to everyone.
The initiators continue to fight for the riverside path. The government council and the majority of the cantonal department, on the other hand, loudly reject the bank initiative because of the high costs of the reasons and because of the interference with the property guarantee srf currently from.
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