No to concrete around Torrechiara Castle. Citizens unite against speculation

Building speculation could eat away at the beautiful landscape around the Torrechiara Castle, one of the jewels of the castles of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, nestled in a highly prized hillside setting on the slopes of the Parma Apennines. For this reason, citizens of Langhirano, the municipality within which the castle is located, have joined together in a committee, “Citizens for Torrechiara,” to prevent concrete from devastating one of the most visited and recognizable monuments in the province of Parma.

In a note, the citizens expressed their “strong concern about the will of the municipal administration to build, at the request of some private individuals, numerous constructions in the vicinity of the castle and in other hamlets of the municipality.” the landscape surrounding the castle is, moreover, subject to protection constraints, but the administration, the Citizens for Torrechiara let them know, “on no less than three different occasions has proposed constructions in the green area through variants to the Psc [Safety and Coordination Plan, ed.R. 24/17)”. Moreover, the committee speculates, “the removal of the buildability of areas that are already de facto unbuildable (road buffer strips) appears as an attempt to circumvent the law on land consumption and the presence of constraint.” The group also stresses “the lack of transparency adopted in the democratic process: variants 3bis and 4 to the PSC were in fact adopted without the process of each being concluded and approved at the same time as other amendments to the Rue [Urban Building Regulations, ed.], creating a situation of little clarity.”

For citizens, these are worrying choices, because the Torrechiara Castle is not only one of the most important monuments in the Parma area, but is also a heritage that represents an element of identity for the territory. “The protection of the landscape, soil and cultural heritage,” the citizens conclude, “are a founding element for society, for its identity and sense of citizenship, as well as a driving force for the economy. The group Cittadini per Torrechiara hopes for the official withdrawal of the variants to the Psc and Rue and assures that it will continue steadfastly in its commitment to safeguarding the territory, the good of the whole community.”

Pictured: the castle of Torrechiara

No to concrete around Torrechiara Castle. Citizens unite against speculation

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