- Conservationists want to sue the Frankenwald bridges
Plans for the construction of pedestrian suspension bridges over the Höllental valley in Upper Franconia continue. The planning association has approved the development plan for the controversial Frankenwald bridges, the Hof district office announced. This means that the district council can decide on the implementation of the construction measures and submit the building application, a spokeswoman for the district authority said. The estimated construction costs remain at 41 million euros, originally budgeted at 22 million euros.
Criticism of the planned construction of two bridges over the valley between the town of Lichtenberg and the municipality of Issigau comes mainly from nature conservationists. Bund Naturschutz (BN) and Landesbund für Vogel- und Naturschutz (LBV) fear that the planned bridges will attract more visitors than the Höllental nature reserve can handle.
In their opinion, the visitors could enter the ecologically sensitive slope forests that the bridges are supposed to cross and damage the diverse plant and animal life. The Hof district office estimates that around 300,000 visitors will use the suspension bridges each year. The BN is preparing a lawsuit against the planned construction. Due to the significant concerns of nature conservationists, the construction plans had to be publicly displayed for the third time in autumn 2023.
District refers to expert opinion
The district authority relies on an expert opinion that was created as part of a special species protection review (saP). "For over a year, the entire project area was examined by a renowned expert," the spokeswoman for the district office said.
The expert concluded that the planned construction project could comply with the provisions of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, provided certain measures were taken. For example, the breeding times of protected animals would have to be taken into account during the construction phase. The lawsuit planned by the BN does not have a suspensive effect on the construction.
Despite the ongoing lawsuit by Bund Naturschutz (BN), the district council is expected to discuss and decide on the implementation of the suspension bridge construction during District Day. Implementing the construction measures and submitting the building application could potentially take place during the District Day proceedings.
Regarding District Day, it's worth noting that the district office has received positive expert opinions, stating that the planned bridges could comply with the Federal Nature Conservation Act if specific measures are implemented, such as considering the breeding times of protected animals during construction.
