Bellinzona rejects the «fortress» project (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• Bellinzona rejected the «fortress» project
• The no vote reached 54% of the votes
• The plan provided for 19.1 million francs
• Voter turnout was 47.5%

Key facts

• Outcome → 54% opposed and 46% in favor
• Turnout → 47.5%
• Investment → 19.1 million francs
• City's share → approximately 4.5 million francs
• Objective → enhancement and modernization of the UNESCO site

The result in Bellinzona

The vote by Bellinzona's citizens halted the project called «fortress», supported by the municipal executive, the City Council and the civic committee «Facciamoci Belli». Opponents obtained 54%, while supporters stopped at 46%. Voter turnout was 47.5%.

The proposal concerned the enhancement of Bellinzona's castles and aimed to relaunch and modernize the UNESCO site. The total planned investment amounted to 19.1 million francs. The plan was largely supported by the Canton, the Confederation and private parties, with a share of approximately 4.5 million francs borne by the City.

The consultation came after intense debate, a signature-gathering campaign and the subsequent popular vote. The result therefore concerns a project already supported by the municipal executive, the City Council and the civic committee in favor, but rejected by the majority of voters. The consultation figures combine the political outcome and turnout: the no vote prevailed with 54%, supporters garnered 46% and turnout was 47.5%.

The plan submitted to citizens had a precise financial scope and a defined objective. On the one hand, it provided for an investment of 19.1 million francs, with approximately 4.5 million francs borne by the City. On the other, it had been conceived to give new impetus to the UNESCO site of the castles through enhancement and modernization. The project therefore linked the enhancement of the castles to an investment supported by multiple parties, involving the City, the Canton, the Confederation and private parties. The vote rejected the proposal supported by the civic bodies in favor.

Operational details

The debate on the project

The opposing committee

The vote took place after a heated discussion around the proposal’s approach. The project had been at the center of a broad debate, which had first led to the collection of signatures and then to the popular vote. The opposition mobilization had a precise structure: the committee was mainly associated with Noce and was led by former mayor Brenno Martignoni-Polti.

Avanti con Ticino&Lavoro, Partito comunista, HelvEthica and the Movimento per il socialismo had taken sides in support of that position. The front also included various prominent figures, among them democentrist deputy Tuto Rossi and architect Cristiana Storelli. The campaign against the project thus brought together a local committee, political forces and figures who had intervened in the debate on the enhancement of the castles.

Costs, management and access

The objections did not concern just one element. Among the points contested were the project’s costs and the management model envisaged for enhancing the castles. The opposing committee had also challenged the designation «Fortress», considered to be at the expense of the term «castles».

Another issue was paid access to the inner courtyard of Castelgrande and the Murata gallery. The discussion therefore concerned the cost of the operation, the organization of management, the name under which to present the complex and the methods of access to specific places.

The transition from the collection of signatures to the popular vote brought these points to the attention of the citizens of Bellinzona. The final result rejected the project supported by the proponents, but the objections described concerned costs, management, designation and paid access. The local debate focused on the costs and on how to manage and designate the complex, as well as on access to the inner courtyard of Castelgrande and the Murata gallery.

Key points

The next step with the Canton

Asked by RSI, mayor Mario Branda admitted his disappointment with the outcome of the vote. His reaction starts from the work already carried out: he recalled that the project had been in the works for a long time and had required a financial and human investment.

«The project had been in the works for a long time: there was a financial and human investment.»

Branda explained that the rejection poses an obstacle, but does not compromise the project on which hopes had been placed to give Bellinzona fresh impetus from an economic, tourism and cultural standpoint. The mayor's reaction therefore combines disappointment over the vote with the possibility of considering how to proceed with the proposal.

The mayor recalled that the castles are owned by the Canton. He also stressed that the project had been sponsored by the City and the Canton. For this reason, after the vote, he indicated the need for contact with the cantonal authorities: the discussion will have to serve to understand what they think and what can be done now.

Branda specified that what happens next will not be such a foregone conclusion. The indicated step therefore remains linked to discussions between the City and the cantonal authorities, which own the castles and were involved in sponsoring the project. The result of the vote has opened this phase of dialogue following the public rejection.

In the same reaction, Branda admitted that the Municipal Council and those in favor had not been sufficiently effective in explaining the project. This is the self-criticism expressed by the mayor regarding the promoters' communication. The indicated next step remains contact with the cantonal authorities and an assessment of the possibilities following the rejection expressed by the citizens.

Source: rsi.ch