A well-attended discussion event in the city on the redesign of the Thalkirchner clinic district resulted in a rarely uniform opinion: the residents of the district strictly reject what they are saying about the planned changes on the three-hectare area on the Isar Canal, on Schäftlarnstrasse and Tierparkstrasse the title of the development plan “Am Isarkanal”. Building heights of up to 48 meters proved to be undesirable, information on traffic regulation and the preservation of the valuable tree population was questioned, statements about the long-term security of subsidized living space for nursing staff and hospital staff were questioned.
The representatives of the city administration, the architects and landscape planners were confronted with a torrent of critical statements for almost three hours. In the end there was a desperate appeal from a chief physician, but please do not forget the staffing needs of the clinics, which are essentially housing shortages.
The participants in the meeting still agreed with the most important planning goals for the so-called health campus in Thalkirchen. Ute Michel-Grömling from the department for urban planning and building regulations briefly outlined it at the beginning: “The clinic location should be further developed in a future-proof manner, adapted to growing needs, while preserving the valuable trees on the site.” Significant components of the expansion and modernization plans are the creation of rooms for “clinic-related living” for newly discharged patients, a repositioning of the rescue station, the construction of a connecting wing between the two clinics and an underground car park. Daycare, café and health food store could round off the concept.
Why in the southern part of the area, on the site of the former Rinecker villa, two residential towers should also be built, which would stand out clearly in terms of height from the surrounding buildings, some of which are listed, and would, according to widespread opinion, be tantamount to other building mistakes next to a neighboring high-rise building from the 1960s, was the question Not open to meeting participants at all costs. This is all the less so as they consider it hopeless to make the 175 apartments contained therein available to hospital staff in the long term based on social criteria. For reasons of profitability alone, it is more likely that at least one of the towers will ultimately mutate into a haven for expensive condominiums, it said.
The subway is already operating at its capacity limit
The doubts about the traffic planning around the health campus were no less vehement. It was emphasized several times that more cars could not possibly take Thalkirchen’s congested streets. In this respect, a planned minimum parking space key would have a counterproductive effect. And even the constant reference to the neighboring subway station doesn’t really help, some speakers agreed in unison. Because the U3 was already operating at its limit.
Ultimately, the meeting also gave little credence to the promise that only a few trees would have to be sacrificed for the construction projects. Vague information from the administration – “we are still in the testing stage” – increased skepticism rather than dampening it. Anxious questions about negative consequences for the fresh air corridor (“our natural air conditioning Isar”) and for the groundwater in the adjacent landscape protection area completed the round of objections.
Ultimately, the meeting even raised the question of whether it would not be better to implement a 50-year-old development plan than to create a new one and give investors building rights gifts. Especially if, in return, limiting social, ecological and architectural standards are not enforceable. The district committee chairman Ludwig Weidinger (CSU) reminded that the majority of the district representatives also have considerable reservations about the clinic planning, mainly because of the height development. Nevertheless, at least the existing building law cannot be shaken. Weidinger called on the people of Thalkirchner to raise their objections before the city council makes its approval decision on this matter. Opportunity to comment is until June 6th.