In the conflict between the owners of terraced houses in Johanneskirchen and the city over the approval of photovoltaic systems on the roof, a turning point is emerging: After previously opposed to the construction of the systems for reasons of monument protection, the Local Building Commission (LBK) is now preparing the ” Permission “, as LBK boss Cornelius Mager announced on request, namely” with few requirements for the design “.
He cites a “uniform, calm appearance and, if possible, non-reflective dark panels” as examples. He had “given the applicant the prospect of granting it in the course of the next week,” said Mager. “We’re rowing back a little.”
Florian Forster, one of the house owners and a kind of spokesman for the group of people from Wildrosenweg who want to generate electricity in a sustainable way with a solar system, reacts cautiously to the city’s announcement: “I’m just curious to see what’s coming, especially what kind of conditions it will be. ” For him, for example, the question arises whether a photovoltaic system can be built on the entire roof or just part of it.
Climate protection or monument protection? This question should be asked more often in Munich
In the summer, Forster had received the information from an employee of the Lower Monument Protection Authority, which is located in the LBK, that the photovoltaic system could “not be approved”. Because the almost 20-year-old residential complex in which Forster and his colleagues live is like an island in the ensemble protection area “Former Ortskern Johanneskirchen”, in this ensemble there are also individual monuments, such as the old village church of St. Johann Baptist. The “traditional, village-like appearance”, which is worthy of preservation, would be disrupted by the photovoltaic systems, so the argumentation of the monument protection.
In autumn Forster turned to the Second Mayoress Katrin Habenschaden (Greens), who is responsible for the issue of climate. In mid-November she asked the planning department, to which the LBK belongs, to check whether monument protection would take precedence over climate protection in this case. “One should set the right priorities,” she explained.
The owners developed an “overall design concept” for solar systems on six adjacent houses.
(Photo: Concept-A)
The planning department then spoke of a “precedent effect”. After all, it is the declared goal of the city government and the designated new federal government to generate much more electricity on roofs in the future than before – which in a city such as Munich, which is characterized by many monuments, could repeatedly lead to conflicts with monument protection. In parallel to the dialogue with the city, the group from Johanneskirchen developed an “overall design concept” for solar systems on six adjacent houses.
The expansion of renewable energies is an important part of the energy transition
When asked why the change of heart had happened so quickly, Mager wrote: “After the negative feedback in July, we initially had a break in broadcasting due to personnel reasons.” After the applicant’s “intervention” with various offices in the city, a “more intensive dialogue” had arisen, which has now led to a “constructive result”. Mager emphasizes that the overall concept presented contributed to the solution, “because of course it’s not just about the one house that is furthest away from the town center, but about a good solution that can then also become a model for the other owners” .
Mayor Habenschaden is happy to respond to the new development and emphasizes that the city must “simplify and accelerate the approval process”. The commitment of the Ampel coalition to the expansion of renewable energies is “an important step. Hopefully this will shift the weight of the approval process significantly in the direction of climate protection.”
Munich’s city home clerk Bernhard Landbrecht also speaks out in the discussion. He thinks it is “a fatal discussion, even a catastrophe, if it comes down to the fact that the monument protection is against the photovoltaics”. It is not enough “just to build a few panels on tiled roofs”, explains Landbrecht, who, as the city administrator, is a member of all committees that deal with significant changes to the cityscape. “But I can imagine,” says Landbrecht, “that we will develop new house landscapes. I’ll be there when it says: Let’s do something new with photovoltaics.”