Desenzano Lakeside Promenade Work Resumes Amid Environmental Review
The restoration work along Cesare Battisti lakeside promenade in Desenzano resumed this morning, Wednesday, March 21, after being suspended by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Ambientali di Brescia. The other evening, the City Building Commission, convened to examine the additional documentation gathered meanwhile by the Technical Office, expressed a favorable opinion, effectively giving the green light for the continuation of the works. However, the works remain subject to legal review, as the Soprintendenza must now assess the new documentation.
Current status and evaluations of the project
It remains to be seen whether the remaining part of the project, specifically the section between the Park Hotel and the Desenzanino, will be deemed acceptable by officials from the via Calini office. These are works that, from a landscape perspective and in terms of the perceptual relationship between the intervention and the surrounding territorial context, have already raised concerns even among some professionals and not just citizens. But this involves a series of opinions, all of which are subject to debate or disagreement.
In any case, the resumption of work along the lakeside promenade marks a political step forward for the Giunta Anelli administration. Inevitably, criticisms and positions from part of the population and opposition forces had been made, and these have not yet diminished. Yesterday, Tommaso Giardino, the Public Works assessor, showed signs of considerable satisfaction.
Securing, within a few days, a favorable opinion from the building commission, supplemented by that of two environmental experts (architects Lucio Serino and Genesio Treccani), holds significant credibility with respect to tourism and business operators, who are ready to sharpen their tools for battling over the project. It should also be remembered that the Easter holiday is very close, with only three weeks remaining: with the lakeside in that condition, it’s understandable how the commercial and hotel sectors might react.
The controversy over the work stoppage dates back to March 10, when the decree canceling the authorization issued by Mayor Cino Anelli—based on the environmental sub-delegation law—was signed. Specifically, the Soprintendenza requested some modifications to the project. The Comune had two options: appeal to the Regional Administrative Tribunal or accept the requests from via Calini office. The latter course was chosen.
Assessing Giardino states: “The responses from the designers today have highlighted, through environmental sections and photographic panoramas, that the green areas, reinforced by new plantings, do not affect the panoramic cones from and towards the lake, nor do they conceal facades or building fronts. The same technicians also observed that the eight fountains planned are positioned below the upper level line of the existing cliffs, rendering them imperceptible from the lake.” Meanwhile, last week, a lawsuit was filed with the TAR by some residents.
