Heumarkt Project and UNESCO: Investor Appeals to Administrative Court Following Environmental Impact Assessment
The tug-of-war over Vienna's Heumarkt site has reached the next stage of escalation. After the Federal Administrative Court (BVwG) ordered an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the latest project variant, investor Michael Tojner announced that he would appeal the decision.
The historic center of Vienna remains on UNESCO's Red List of endangered world heritage sites. / Picture: © Vindobona.org / Birgit Adelsberger
The historic center of Vienna remains a bone of contention between urban development and monument preservation. As announced on Monday, the Federal Administrative Court insists that even the latest version of the “Heumarkt Neu 2023” construction project must undergo a comprehensive environmental impact assessment. The court primarily justifies this with the potential impairment of the UNESCO World Heritage status of Vienna's city center.
Wertinvest goes on the offensive
The reaction of the project applicant, Wertinvest, was prompt. Since the BVwG did not allow an ordinary appeal, the company will now pursue an extraordinary appeal at the Administrative Court (VwGH). Karl Liebenwein, lawyer for investor Michael Tojner, sharply criticized the decision, saying that the courts were effectively outsourcing the legal assessment to an international organization—UNESCO—instead of deciding purely on the basis of Austrian and European law.
A years-long planning marathon
The Heumarkt project has been making headlines for over a decade. The key points of the current plan envisage a residential building with a height of 49.95 meters and a new Intercontinental hotel building with a limited height of 47.85 meters.
Although the Vienna provincial government had certified in November 2024 that no EIA was necessary, the BVwG has now overturned this assessment, as it did with previous variants from 2021 and 2023.
Political reactions and responsibilities
While the City of Vienna's environmental protection department (MA 22) objectively refers to the legal possibility of revision, the opposition is not sparing with its criticism, as reported by ORF. The Vienna People's Party describes the situation as “years of planning chaos,” while the FPÖ is calling for an immediate halt to the project and a reorientation of the zoning plan.
For the investor, the ball is now in the politicians' court: it is up to the Republic and the City of Vienna to find a consensus with UNESCO so as not to further jeopardize World Heritage status without blocking urban development.