Housing construction in the reserve: 2 million houses causes red heads in Oensingen SO

class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>

A 2 million franc house in Oensingen has been causing excitement in the community of 4,000 people in the canton of Solothurn for weeks. Although the house is located in a reserve zone where the same conditions apply as in agricultural zones and residential buildings are allowed only under the strictest conditions, nearly 30 years after the building was built the canton approved the conversion of the house into a residential building. any problems.

But at the same time, a few hundred meters away as the crow flies, a paved section of the road leading to the “Roggen” viewing restaurant had to be demolished at great cost by federal court decision, also because it was not built in accordance with the regulations. with the region. There was great interest from residents, tourists and the community in keeping the road in its old but illegal state. In complete contrast to the residential building.

Two buildings outside the area, only one of which needs to be demolished: This unequal treatment insults many Oensingers, and they are now asking themselves the question: “Why?”

One of them is retired teacher Kuno Blaser (76). Angry: “I’m concerned about justice,” Blick repeated several times during his interview. “How is it that measurements are taken with two different cubits?” But: what happened before?

Decades of history

In 1992, a wealthy Oensinger woman built a house on a hillside in what was then still a residential neighborhood. He lived there for decades. He became involved in the community and, according to Blaser’s statements, donated money for larger construction projects in his hometown, among other things. Meanwhile, the land on which the house was built was rezoned and from now on was listed as a reserve area. The house itself became an “extraterritorial building” and has remained in this quasi-legal status without any controversy ever since. However, with the death of its owner, the question of the legality of the 30-year-old residential building came to the fore again.

In 2021, a community of heirs finally applied to convert the building into a residential building with the aim of selling it. In fact, it is a very complex process in the reserve region. In this case, approval went smoothly.

The mayor conveys this news very well on social media: “The building in question has a construction permit dated 1991. At that time, the claimed parcel was in the construction area. “The construction permit was given in accordance with the law and the region at that time.”

An anonymous purchase request from the agent provides clarity on how the house can be used. The unobstructed view and large plot make the property fundamentally attractive. Until recently it was sold on property portals for just under 2 million francs. The reserve zone status is transparently displayed by the broker, thus noting that conversions are only allowed under strict conditions. Tempi passati. The bid price has now dropped. The property currently costs just over 1.5 million francs.

Doubts remain

So was everything okay on the property? A query to the Federal Agency for Spatial Development (ARE) reveals at least some doubts: “Buildings originally constructed on plots of land and rezoned may subsequently be approved as residential buildings subject to certain conditions. However, it is not fully understood how this is actually done. “The change of use should have occurred in accordance with a different article of the Spatial Planning Law.” Detail! But it is very important in the overall context of the construction of Roggenstrasse. The current view is that this would probably qualify for approval and would not need to be demolished if measured using the same standards.

Blaser is not upset that the house was later approved as a residential building. However, it bothers him that he is being treated unequally due to the demolition of Bergstrasse. Tensions in Oensingen have not yet calmed down. On the contrary. Kuno Blaser wants to investigate the matter further and “remain an unpleasant situation,” emphasizing: “Not all questions have been answered yet.”

Source : Blick