Salzburg paid nearly ten times more for Antheringer Au land

The Salzburg state government paid nearly ten times more per square metre for the Antheringer Au floodplain than was paid for other floodplain land, ORF reported on Tuesday.

The comparison was made by the KPÖ in the Salzburg state parliament. In 2005, the Federal Forests sold land in the Weitwörther Au to the Republic of Austria for about 80 cents per square metre. In 2022, the state paid around 7.17 euros per square metre for the Antheringer Au, including ancillary costs.

KPÖ parliamentary group leader Natalie Hangöbl questioned why the earlier purchase price had not been taken into account and whether other land prices and customary rates had been considered before the purchase from Mayr-Melnhof.

Daniela Gutschi of the Austrian People’s Party, who was responsible for nature conservation at the time, said the contracts were not comparable because they involved different conditions.

“A property sold by one federal authority to another federal authority is always cheaper, and there are many years between the transactions,” Gutschi said. She added that the land sold in 2005 was presumably embankment land transferred to the water management authority, rather than economically used agricultural land such as that in the Antheringer Au.

Gutschi said the Antheringer Au contract had been completed and reviewed several times. It would not be reopened.