Altenstadt association offers deal to end Feldkirch land dispute

The Altenstadt agricultural association has offered the city of Feldkirch 20 per cent of expected revenue from planned gravel extraction to settle a long-running land dispute, ORF reports. The city has not yet responded.

The association says the share could amount to about 200,000 euros a year, depending on the volume extracted at the Paspels lakes. It has also offered proceeds linked to former municipal common land. Under the association’s statutes, that money could not be distributed directly but would have to fund public projects, such as a forest kindergarten or a running track.

The planned gravel extraction has been stalled for years by a dispute over land and the revenue it generates. The conflict dates back to 1960, when Feldkirch transferred plots to agricultural associations. The city argues the transfers were not legally valid, but the original decision can no longer be found.

In 2022, the city began a formal review and sought money and, in some cases, land from the associations in Altenstadt, Tisis and Tosters. The associations contested the claims. The state rejected the city’s applications, and Feldkirch appealed. The case is now before the Provincial Administrative Court.

The association’s chairman, Robert Ess, says a court victory for the city could undermine the association’s financial basis and require city employees to manage the land. Members’ usage rights would remain in place, which Ess says would limit what the city could do with the plots.

The association’s finances are strained, with cumulative losses of about 700,000 euros in recent years, according to the Feldkircher Anzeiger. Ess invited members of the city council and their substitutes to an information session in October to explain the association’s work and finances. The city has indicated neither acceptance nor rejection of the settlement offer.

Constitutional law expert Peter Bußjäger has criticised the state’s decision, which took three years, saying it disregarded rulings by higher courts. The Constitutional Court has previously decided similar cases in Tyrol in favour of municipalities, according to the report.