- Federer intends to build a property on the water of the 34-square-mile lake.
- But public access campaigners lodged objections to their planning applications.
Roger Federer is embroiled in a dispute with public access activists protesting against plans put forward by the Swiss tennis ace to build a boathouse on the shores of Lake Zurich.
Federer, 42, intends to build a 34-square-mile lake water property southeast of the city after snapping up a sizable piece of land in Rapperswil-Jona, a small municipality in the canton of St. Gallen.
But Rives Publiques, a group that defends the public’s right to access all of Switzerland’s lakes and waterways, filed complaints objecting to the plans and argued that the move could set a “dangerous precedent.”
The group’s president, Victor von Wartburg, said: “I have nothing against Roger Federer or other people who live near the coast.
“But they shouldn’t take the coast away from people.”
Federer, 42, intends to build a property on the water of the 34-square-mile lake southeast of Zurich.
View of Lake Zurich from the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona
Von Wartburg claims that if Federer’s planning application is approved, other wealthy landowners could follow suit, dramatically increasing the number of buildings on the shoreline and thus preventing other citizens from enjoying the lake.
Rives Publiques filed two separate objections to Federer’s plans: one in the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona and another with the cantonal authorities.
Von Wartburg told SRF and Swiss information If the tennis star’s application is accepted, the shores of Lake Zurich and other waterways could soon be invaded by new construction.
“A lot of people would say, ‘If Roger Federer got it, I want it too.’
“Then banks would be created everywhere,” he said.
Roger Federer and his wife Mirka, photographed in London
Roger Federer is being interviewed during the UNIQLO World Tour with Roger Federer on May 22, 2024 in La Courneuve, Franc.
Federer, who earned around £100 million in prize money during his stellar playing career, as well as untold sums in lucrative sponsorships, has already built an incredible resort on the shores of Lake Zurich.
According to Swiss and French media, the sports icon has built six independent buildings, an underground parking lot, a swimming pool and, of course, several tennis courts, on a plot of land measuring between 16,000 and 18,000 square meters that he acquired in 2019.
But it remains to be seen whether Swiss authorities will approve the boathouse, with a decision expected to be made within about two months.
