- Federer plans to build an estate on the water of the 34 square kilometer lake
- But public access campaigners lodged objections to his planning applications
Roger Federer has been embroiled in a row with public access campaigners protesting the Swiss tennis great’s plans to build a boathouse on the shores of Lake Zurich.
Federer, 42, plans to build a property on the water of the 34-square-kilometer lake southeast of the city, after buying a significant plot of land in Rapperswil-Jona, a small municipality in the canton of St. Gallen.
But Rives Publiques, a group that defends the public right of access to all lakes and waterways in Switzerland, has filed complaints against the plans, arguing the move could set a “dangerous precedent.”
Group chairman 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 the people.”
Federer, 42, plans to build a property on the water of the 34-square-kilometer lake southeast of Zurich
A 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 therefore 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 one with the cantonal authorities.
Von Wartburg told SRF and Swiss information that if the tennis star’s request is granted, the shores of Lake Zurich and other waterways could soon be flooded with new construction sites.
“A lot of people would say, ‘If Roger Federer gets it, then I want it too.’
“Then the banks would be built up everywhere,” he declared.
Roger Federer and his wife Mirka are pictured in London
Roger Federer is interviewed during UNIQLO’s Around The World With Roger Federer on May 22, 2024 in La Courneuve, France
Federer, who earned around £100 million in prize money during his glittering playing career, plus untold sums in lucrative sponsorships, has already built an incredible complex on the shores of Lake Zurich.
According to reports in Swiss and French media, the sports icon has built six separate buildings, an underground parking garage, a swimming pool – and of course several tennis courts – on the 16,000 to 18,000 square meter plot he acquired in 2019.
But it remains to be seen whether Swiss authorities will approve the boathouse, with a decision expected to be made in about two months.