Lonato Urban Plan and Building Permits Resumed After Court Ruling
Green light for building permits, and therefore for subdivision plans, expansion of the industrial zone, and the establishment of shopping centers. The controversy stemming from the Constitutional Court’s ruling that rejected the principle of silence-permission, which was, as remembered, applied by the previous Lega Nord-led administration to the town of Lonato’s town plan, has come to an end.
Legal opinions and administrative decisions
In recent days, as noted by the mayor Morando Perini, the municipal administration has acquired several authoritative legal opinions on the matter. All opinions were favorable regarding the question raised immediately after the Supreme Court’s decision: Was the town plan still in effect or not? Furthermore, could the building permits issued at the time, as well as those in the pipeline, be considered legitimate?
These were a couple of questions that remained unresolved for a month, leaving a trail of uncertainty and concern among private citizens, artisans, and builders. In the meantime, the administration rightly “froze” all pending permits and halted the activities of the building commission. This was to prevent further issues from arising.
Reopening of procedures and administrative acts
Instead, as mentioned, the legal advisors of the Municipality responded affirmatively: the Constitutional Court decision did not produce the devastating effects that some feared immediately after the news from Rome. And, since yesterday, Morando Perini recalls, the Municipality has begun issuing building permits, while the commission’s activity will resume in a few days.
The much-discussed Campagnoli shopping center can therefore proceed with its process, as can the expansions of some artisan companies at Molini. The matter dates back as far as 7 years ago.
The history of the urban plan
In October 1994, the municipal council, dominated by Lega Nord, approved the new urban planning instrument. The following December, the plan was deposited with the region for approval. Mayor Manlio Mantovani, in an unprecedented move in Italy, applied the principle of silence-permission to the approval because more than 180 days had elapsed without a decision.
The plan was published in the regional bulletin on August 23, 1995, making Lonato the only city in Italy to have made this choice. At this point, the matter entered the realm of legal disputes.