Reclassification for controversial company expansion fix
politics
In Adnet (Tennengau), the municipal council decided to rededicate the controversial expansion of the sun protection manufacturer Schlotterer. The new plant is to be built on five hectares of grassland. The opponent protested with a whistle concert before the meeting.
On Thursday evening, the majority of the municipal council agreed to the reallocation of the grassland in the commercial area and traffic area. This brought the sun protection manufacturer a big step closer to the planned company expansion of around 120 million euros. According to the company, around 750 new jobs will be created by 2035.
Conservationists and the “Save the Adnet Fields” initiative protested loudly against the decision on Thursday evening in front of the municipal office. They continue to call for the preservation of valuable grassland for future generations and warn against noise and traffic pollution. A collection of signatures for a citizens’ petition failed for the time being. The electoral authorities declared the signatures invalid for formal reasons. The initiative wants to take legal action against this – more on this in the Schlotterer conflict: Next round of ads (salzburg.ORF.at; September 21, 2022).
Start of construction planned for the end of 2023
Schlotterer is targeting the start of construction for the third plant for the end of 2023, provided that all permits have been received by the end of 2022. After completion, around 1,350 people will be employed at Schlotterer: “With the current resolution of the municipal council, which we are very pleased about, the project is entering the next phase, these are the legal procedures such as nature conservation law, commercial law and building law”, explains Schlotterer Managing Director Peter Gubisch.
The objections of the residents as well as the demands of the experts and the requirements of the municipality are taken into account in the plans. The operation of the new plant will be CO2-neutral.
Strong growth in recent years
The Schlotterer sun protection systems GmbH has grown strongly in recent years and according to Austria’s own information for external sun protection. 630 employees currently work at the Adnet site. The company belongs to the family-owned IFN Holding based in Traun (Upper Austria), which also sells window and door brands such as Internorm and Topic. In 2021, Schlotterer generated sales of EUR 112 million – 14 percent more than in sales in 2020.