The debate about the expansion of the United Initiators (UI) chemical plant in Pullach entered the next round on Wednesday evening. After the local council had declared a petition by opponents to be inadmissible the day before, this decision heated the minds at an information event held by the community in the community center. The moderator’s call to refrain from defamation and “to leave refuted allegations in a drawer” was not always taken to heart. After Walter-Viktor Adolf, who represented the citizens’ initiative on the podium, with angry and loud words, called for more speaking time than the five minutes agreed for each, the moderator gave him the option to leave the discussion.
A key point of the debate was whether UI will get more building rights approved for its plans. Urban planner Bettina Gerlach, who is working on the new development plan on behalf of the municipality, denied this: “The building spaces of the old development plan were merely moved in the new plan.” There were often misunderstandings because the old development plan had not been exhausted, i.e. not all areas that could already be built on were actually used by the company. Ultimately, “Big Wings”, as the project is called, would build on more space than it currently does. Mayor Susanne Tausendfreund (Greens) said: “In 1995 I spoke out against the first development plan. Today I have to respect that it exists.” On the other hand, Christian Boeck from the citizens’ initiative said: “After seven years it is quite possible to withdraw a building permit.”
UI managing director Andreas Rutsch dispelled fears of citizens about more truck traffic: At the moment finished products are being brought to external warehouses and later back to Pullach. By contrast, expanding the warehouse would reduce traffic, emissions and noise. “There will be no truck traffic at night or on weekends.” There was support for this from Agenda 21. “We think it makes sense to merge deposits,” said their representative, Peter Kloeber. “But we want to prevent an expansion of production, especially because of the emissions.” Bernhard Rückerl, the head of the environmental department in the Pullach town hall, pointed out the climate protection concept that the development plan contains. This is one of the advantages that a new development plan offers. A power supply from renewable energies is planned. When asked about an increase in production, Rutsch said that an expansion of 2.5 percent was planned. However, this was approved years ago. “We can already produce more than we are currently doing.” A company is not viable without profit and growth.
Several Pullachers asked whether the planned deforestation of the forest-like area on the industrial site of the UI could not be prevented. According to the municipality, the site has been an industrial area since the first development plan. A forest doesn’t even exist on paper. “Since 1995 UI could have felled the trees and built them there at any time,” says Jürgen Weiß, head of the construction department. However, the new development plan provides for a compensation area. A forest area of the same size will be created where the company apartments are currently still standing. Regardless of this, the apartments are to be relocated outside the factory premises. Kloeber from Agenda 21 insisted: “There must be another location for the planned warehouse. The forest should also be defined as a forest again.” Urban planner Gerlach replied that the area was surrounded by forest to the west and south, so another location was out of the question.
At the end of the three-hour event, several Pullach safety concerns were expressed. They recalled the fire in 2002 and warned that the risk would increase if the amount of stored product increased. The plant management stated that the safety concepts had been significantly further developed over the past 20 years. “The camps are divided into different, separate blocks. The individual blocks prevent the fire from spreading.” Accordingly, the security risk would not increase as a result of the expansion. Kathrin Vogel from the citizens’ initiative was of a different opinion: “If there is more that can explode, the danger is always greater.”
After the question and answer session was used less for questions and more for statements by some stakeholders, a woman from Pullach, who only spoke at the end, said disappointed: “I’m here today to find out more and to ask questions, but it works the verbal hostility hardly. “