2024-02-22 08:29:50
The citizens of the community of Grünheide voted against expanding the Tesla factory site. The citizens’ initiative warns the community representatives. Tesla itself also reacts.
The vote of the residents in Grünheide, Brandenburg, was clear: with 3,312 (62.1 percent) to 2,018 (37.9) votes, they spoke out against the expansion plans of the electric car manufacturer Tesla in a citizen survey. US billionaire Elon Musk’s company wants to clear another 100 hectares of forest in addition to its 300 hectare “Gigafactory”, including the creation of a freight yard, warehouses and a company kindergarten.
The fact that the population rejected these plans triggered mixed reactions in Grünheide and beyond. t-online asked around.
Citizens’ initiative sees clear result
The local citizens’ initiative, which had already fought against Tesla’s original settlement, sees the survey as an order for the local council to reject the corresponding development plan. “I can hardly imagine that the community representatives would turn against the citizens who elected them. If they did, that would be a catastrophe,” said chairwoman Manuela Hoyer t-online. She was “delighted” with the result and a “clarity” that she had not expected.
In any case, the around 75 percent voter turnout should give Hoyer a boost. In Grünheide, the local council decides on the development plan. It is not yet known when she plans to do this, but Hoyer expects a vote at the May meeting. The activist is skeptical that the municipality will be able to involve citizens, environmentalists and their initiative in the process again by then. The survey shows that the development plan in its current form cannot be put to a vote, she said.
Tesla itself declared on Wednesday that it would fundamentally stick to its plans. “We remain convinced that the logistical optimization of the plant is a great benefit for the community.” The car manufacturer announced that it wanted to coordinate “with everyone involved” and that it saw the “concerns” of citizens. It is now up to the municipality to decide on the development plan procedure. The goal is still to shift a lot of truck traffic to rail and to expand the infrastructure around the factory.
Mayor blames reporting
Before the survey, Mayor Arne Christiani had already told rbb that he believed “that the majority of the municipal council would then support the vote.” However, he now told the broadcaster that he could not say whether the community would stick to the vote. The development plan has not yet been part of a consultation in the local council. As mayor, Christiani heads the municipal council.
Christiani told rbb he was disappointed with the result. “I am annoyed that it has not been possible to show people that very important infrastructure projects such as the new L 386 state road or the station forecourt are part of this development plan.”
The local state parliament member Rolf-Peter Hooge (AfD) told t-online that he would like “a compromise to be found” because there is an “understandable need for the factory to expand”. It is important “that no decisions are made bypassing the citizens”. He welcomed the fact that citizens were involved in the survey, even “even though I am less critical of the factory than some colleagues,” said Hooge.
District office: Tesla and the community are now in charge
Christiani does not see the survey results as a sign of a general anti-Tesla attitude in the community. There is no negative mood regarding the US electric car manufacturer. For him, however, the outcome depends on the local reporting. “The reporting on the overall Tesla project has been rather negative over the last year,” he said.
Frank Steffen, district administrator of the Oder-Spree district, in which Grünheide is located, took the car manufacturer and the community to task. “The citizens expressed themselves clearly in a purely democratic process,” the SPD politician told t-online. It is now up to Tesla and Grünheide to “reconsider the plans and then revise them.” The results of the survey show “that we need to think much more about the infrastructure of a construction project in the surrounding area.”