Salva Monte Brè

Salva Monte Brè very favourably welcomes the decision of the City’s executive board to institute a safeguard measure in our mountain district.

It is with great satisfaction that we became aware of the press release from the City of Locarno on July 19th, officially announcing its decision to introduce a suspensive safeguard measure, the “Zona di Pianificazione“, in our mountain district. This measure, aimed at temporarily suspending any disproportionate construction, shall give the time for the popular initiative to follow its course, and for the public and democratic will to emerge.

Indeed, given the great success of our initiative, and such a measure having been requested by our association, the Weber / Helvetia Nostra Foundation, the Solduno-Ponte Brolla-Vattagne neighbourhood association, Pro Monte Brè, and an all-party parliamentary group, we believe that it is the right decision.

We sincerely thank the City for this encouraging decision. We are pleased that it thus confirms to be acting in the democratic interest. We now expect this Zona di Pianificazione to be implemented quickly and in the right form.

We dare to hope that Augur Invest, which this month renamed itself Aedartis AG, will take note of this development and renounce its plans to destroy the “balcone sopra Locarno”. It is highly unlikely, in our opinion, that it will decide to ignore the political and public will, and attempt to submit a request for construction, surreptitiously and in haste, to pre-empt the safeguard measure and the democratic practice.

First of all, such an approach would have no chance of success; we would indeed oppose it with the same strength and determination that have characterized our action so far, arguing for example in the sense of Article 62 LST (suspensive decision); we would also make sure to give maximum publicity to such an outrageous behaviour. In addition, we believe that the current owners and directors of Augur/Aedartis are honourable people; they should know their project would destroy the character of our mountain. We are aware that they were deceived by a charlatan promising the inhabitants’ full support. They are pragmatic entrepreneurs, who will know when to cut their losses, and who will not endeavour to make us support their mistake of believing the lies of a notorious swindler.

Provided this optimistic assessment is indeed confirmed, we would also be ready to enter into discussion with them, if they consider the exercise relevant, to assess to which extent we could help them find buyers for their property acquired under false pretences. In this case, we would be looking at local protagonists, people who love nature and share our strong sense of individual sovereignty, ready to restore the abandoned houses of Monte Brè.

In any case, our association remains on high alert, will continue to act in the direction of truth, beauty and consensus, and will participate, to the best of its ability, in the rebirth of our small mountain paradise.

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