Owner threatens to move away Thurgauer Beck has been in dispute with neighbors for years
Rössli Beck in Sulgen has been fighting for a building permit for years - now a possible move to Amriswil is on the table.
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- Rössli Beck Dörr AG would like to modernize its bakery in Sulgen, but has been stuck in a legal dispute with several condominium owners for years.
- Despite several court rulings in favour of the construction project, objections continue to block its implementation.
- Managing Director Edgar Ehrbar is therefore considering a new building in Amriswil's Buchenhölzli industrial estate as an expensive alternative.
The town of Amriswil recently announced "already very concrete" talks about industrial building land with Rössli Beck Dörr AG. The traditional company from Sulgen wanted to relocate its headquarters there and produce in the Buchenhölzli area in future.
However, Managing Director Edgar Ehrbar puts the brakes on expectations. "Amriswil is the alternative," he tells theThurgauer Zeitungnewspaper. "Our goal was and is to stay in Sulgen and expand there." The bakery has been trying to bring its production facility on Bahnhofstrasse up to date since 2020 - without success.
What was planned as a modernization has turned into a protracted legal dispute. The building is owned by 21 condominium owners, of which Rössli Beck Dörr AG is one. "We have total support from 17 owners," says Ehrbar. "The opposite from the other three." These neighbors are contesting the planning application under both civil and building law - so far without success.
"Fighting change with all our might"
"We have been proven right by all instances, including the administrative and higher courts on several occasions, and have won every case so far," Ehrbar continued to the newspaper. Nevertheless, the resistance continues. One of the opponents even told him: "We will fight every change you want to make with all our might."
Complaints include noise at night, although the planned modernization would make production quieter. A further ruling by the district court is still pending.
As the standstill in Sulgen continues, Ehrbar is considering alternatives - including the aforementioned new building in Amriswil. However, the project would be expensive. In addition, the soil conditions in Buchenhölzli are not ideal. "The project is a relatively long way off, that's true," admits Ehrbar, "but in this day and age, you think twice about whether you want to invest so much."
