Sand mining: environmentalists ask, district office answers
For some, the landscape of the mainschleife is in danger; for others, the extraction of raw materials such as sand and gravel is vital for survival. This is the action alliance of the volkach chapter of the bund naturschutz (BN), the local chapter of bundnis 90/die grunen, the burgerliste, the lama landschaftsschutz mainschleife association and the burgerinitiative erhalt der nordheimer au on the one hand and the company lenz ziegler reifenscheid (LZR) on the other hand. Their application for a further extension of the mining permit at the elgersheimer hof near fahr had been rejected by the volkach city council . But it is not the city, but the county council that decides. Why this is so and what particularly angers the conservationists, we answer here.
Why has the LZR company been allowed to mine sand and gravel at the elgersheimer hof for over 30 years??
The first planning approval dates back to 1987 and was approved – as requested – for a limited period of time, says corinna petzold, press officer for the district office in kitzingen. The extension and change applications were approved in the past with the participation of important bearers of public interests and nature conservation. In the statement of the action alliance to the district office it is stated that with the last approval of march 2006 an end of dismantling after ten years had been planned.Did not have to be thus now definitely schluss with the mining area there?
The last extension for mining at the elgersheimer hof had only been granted within the framework of a limited permit, which was to expire on 31 december 2009. December 2018 has expired, writes petzold. Now, based on the new application, the district office is intensively examining whether an extension – as applied for for ten years of mining and five years of recultivation – is permissible at all on the basis of the restricted permit. A new procedure could also be necessary, taking into account the law on environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Has the no of volkachs city council uber weight?
In principle, the local municipality must be involved in the procedure in order to check whether important principles, such as building planning law, are negatively affected, informs the district office. It therefore depends on the reasons put forward by the municipality. Their opinion will be taken into account in the procedure. In principle, the district office is responsible for such a permit, as this is provided for by law. Enforcement of the water law is basically the task of the state and is the responsibility of the district administrative authorities.
What is the reason for asking for permission for the elgersheimer hof again after such a long time??
Corinna petzold: "the regional plan of the government of lower franconia states that the mines should be exploited as completely as possible. The regional plan is based on the regional development program."
And what about the mining area in the nordheimer au?? That would be a new pit.
The application received in 2016 for sand and gravel mining in the nordheimer au was amended by additional documents requested by the district office due to nature conservation concerns, mining depth and removal. With regard to the changes – among other things, the mining depth was increased from six to 8.5 meters – the district office is, according to its own information, currently intensively examining whether an environmental impact assessment is necessary. The removal is originally, as in the current application over the country road foreseen.
Environmental impact assessment – what does it actually mean??
The purpose of the assessment is to determine whether a project could have a negative impact on the environment. The aim of the EIA is to determine and evaluate the environmental impact of a project as early as possible and to take the findings into account in the approval decision. If an EIA is carried out, the procedure is made public and can be viewed.
