Neighborhood dispute on the villa hill Swiss expatriate has oil drums concreted into the street in Teufen AR
A dispute between neighbors escalates in Teufen AR. A 96-year-old has appealed against a building project. The developer then narrowed the access road with oil drums set in concrete - too narrow even for emergency vehicles.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A 96-year-old entrepreneur and a Swiss abroad are involved in a legal dispute in Teufen AR in which a neighbor is deliberately narrowing the access road.
- The dispute began in 2017 when the 96-year-old appealed against the construction project of the Swiss expatriate and was vindicated.
- The man, who lives in the USA, reported the senior citizen for damage to property, while the latter accused his opponent of coercion.
The villa hill in Teufen AR is known for its prominent residents and luxurious villas. However, a dispute between two neighbors is currently causing a stir, as reported by Blick. Markus Heller, a 96-year-old retired businessman, has been struggling to get to his house by car for some time. The reason is his neighbor Simon M., who lives in California. He has deliberately damaged the access road to Heller's house and narrowed it with obstacles.
The road, which partly runs through M.'s property, has been torn up over a length of around 40 meters. 17 holes in the asphalt and two oil drums set in concrete prevent the passage of larger vehicles. A construction company carried out these measures on behalf of Simon M. to make access to Heller's property more difficult.
The conflict began in 2017, when Simon M. planned to demolish his house and build a parking garage. Markus Heller and his son filed an objection, arguing that the construction work would have overloaded the small road. The Appenzell Ausserrhoden High Court ruled in their favor and prohibited the construction of the garage in 2021. The road was too narrow for the trucks that would have had to use it during construction.
Road narrowing in response to court ruling
Simon M. reacted to the ruling by strictly enforcing the road width restriction of 2.2 meters with the aforementioned structural changes. His lawyer informed Heller that he was not allowed to use the access road with wider vehicles. The barrels set in concrete and the holes in the asphalt are the result of this neighborly dispute between a 96-year-old and a Swiss abroad.
It's not just trucks that can no longer drive up to Heller's house. Larger delivery vans, the snow plough and emergency vehicles are also unable to pass between the barrels set in concrete.
Both neighbors have already filed criminal charges against each other. Simon M. accuses Heller of damaging property because he had some of the obstacles removed. Heller has reported M. for coercion. The municipality of Teufen AR is aware of the dispute and says it is working on a solution.
Markus Heller is severely restricted by the blockade. Suppliers, snow plows and even rescue services can no longer reach his house. Heller expresses his disappointment at the municipality's inaction and sees little hope of a reconciliation. He will probably not live to see the end of this dispute.
This article was created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). All content created by AI is verified by the editorial team.