Court overrules decision banning construction of Stobnica castle

The Voivodeship Administrative Court (WSA) in Warsaw has overruled a decision by the GINB to cancel the construction permit, as well as an earlier decision in that regard issued by the Greater Poland Voivode.

The complaint against the ban on the castle construction was filed by the investor. Polish Press Agency informed on Monday that the WSA had made its ruling in January.

In August, 2021, the Chief Construction Supervision Inspector nullified a 2015 decision by Oborniki county authorities which granted the investor the permit to build the castle. The GINB argued that the construction could have a significant impact on the environment, and that is why the investor was bound to also submit environmental planning. Because the investor failed to deliver said document, the GINB said this premise was sufficient to revoke the permit. The company carrying out the investment filed a complaint on the decision.

At a closed-door session on Jan.12, the Voivodeship Administrative Court made the decision to overrule the nullification of the construction permit.

It's unclear what motivated the court to make such a decision, but it will be revealed once the justification of the ruling has been released.

According to the law, the investor is can now resume construction of the castle in Stobnica. Until a final ruling has been passed, the construction of the castle can continue, said GINB spokesperson Joanna Niedźwiedzka.

The castle in Stobnica is an investment which has raised plenty of controversy since its conception. The structure is being built some 50 kilometres from Poznań, on an artificial island built at the edge of the Notecka Forest. The castle has 14 storeys and a high tower. The construction site is located on the Natura 2000 protected area. The investor is a Poznań-based company D.J.T.

The investment became widely-known in the summer of 2018, when Poland's Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) started to look into irregularities in permit-granting procedure.

At the time, the Environment Minister ordered the General Directorate for Environmental Protection to launch an urgent inspection into the matter. The case was also reported to the prosecutor's office.