Court voids plan for Aldi headquarters expansion in Salzburg

Austria’s Constitutional Court has annulled the development plan for the second stage of Aldi Süd’s headquarters in Salzburg, requiring the building approval process to start again, ORF reports.

The first stage of the headquarters, which belongs to the group that owns grocery discounter Hofer, is complete in Salzburg-Maxglan. The planned complex on Moserstraße, near Salzburg Airport’s runway, was intended to provide workplaces for 1,200 people.

The court found that the planned building was too dense and too high and did not comply with setback rules. It also said the city had not sufficiently examined local conditions during the zoning process, including the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed land use.

A neighbouring property owner had complained that the building would be too close to surrounding plots, exceed a setback line along the railway track at Stieglgründe and be too large. Salzburg’s planning authority said the court’s decision came as a complete surprise.

City councillor for construction Anna Schiester plans to meet Aldi management next week to discuss the project’s future. Aldi and Salzburg Airport recently settled a dispute over PFAS contamination of the construction site. The company is to receive four million euros in compensation for the pollution.