Against cell phone mast in Mitterberg: 40 angry neighbors in the local council

Meetings of the Perger local council usually take place in front of a handful of listeners. The setting was completely different this week: 40 Pergers tried to get a place in the completely overcrowded meeting room: 30 from Mitterberg, ten from Severinweg. Both groups saw their quality of life at risk from a possible rezoning of properties in their immediate neighborhood. In Mitterberg through a cell phone mast, on Severinweg through a multi-story residential building. Both also criticized the inadequate information provided by the municipality.

Third attempt for broadcasting station

Improving the mobile phone network in the north of the municipality has been a concern for Perger politicians for a long time. Locations in Lanzenberg and Pergkirchen failed due to resistance from local residents. Now a network operator wants to build a mobile phone transmitter at the northwest end of the Mitterberg settlement, which has 65 single-family homes. In contrast, residents collected more than 200 signatures in November. This made an impression on the local council: the application was referred back to the planning committee. Combined with the recommendation to hold discussions with the residents.

That was also the case in January this year. However, the dialogue did not go as the three invited Mitterbergers had expected, says Alfred Gruber, co-initiator of the signature list: “We were given a wonderful project presentation. Our questions were not answered. They said we were asking the wrong questions place.”

The mood was correspondingly tense when the project was again on the local council’s agenda this week. According to the residents, a 42 meter high mast spoils the townscape and reduces the value of the property. In addition, the transmitter would not improve local reception because most houses would be in the radio shadow of the mast. The station will lead to an optimization of the mobile network from Karlingberg to Pergkirchen, said Klaus Asanger (VP), chairman of the planning committee, in favor of the location: “It’s also about safety. I don’t want to think about what happens when the fire department or rescue service Arrive late at the scene due to a poor cell phone connection.”

The initiation of the rezoning process means that all arguments will now be weighed up. Asanger also promised an information event for residents. The local council will then make a final decision. Asanger blamed the discontent among the neighbors on an article in the “FPÖ Dialogue”, which said that the broadcasting site had already been successfully prevented. Asanger: “This is pure populism and is damaging politics in our community.”

After some discussion, it was decided to initiate the rezoning. At the suggestion of the Greens, however, with an addition: A location proposed by the Mitterbergers on Preschnitzer-Berg – a good one kilometer away and a good 50 meters higher than Mitterberg – should also be examined as an alternative.

In Mitterberg they are not really satisfied with this decision, says Alfred Gruber: “There was no rejection for the Mitterberg location. That means that this sword of Damocles continues to hang over us. We will make sure that the alternative is really seriously examined.”

Residential building on the old Unionplatz

The listeners from Severinweg left the local council meeting much more satisfied: the application for rezoning for a multi-storey residential building, which would probably also have been the starting signal for development on the old Union sports field, was rejected with a majority of votes – mixed from all parliamentary groups. “We are already reaching the limits of our infrastructure, for example when it comes to sewers and child care. There are enough housing projects that are about to be implemented. It has to be enough,” said SP local councilor Michael Harrucksteiner, summing up the rejection. The Greens would like to use the discussion as an opportunity to push for the area to be transformed into a city park.