The amendments to the spatial plan for the Belgrade Waterfront project, which are not done in line with the legally prescribed procedures, include downsizing of green areas planned for this part of the city, the increase in the height of buildings to 100 metres, and, according to architect and urban planner Dr Iva Cukic, completely pander to the wishes of investors, allowing unregulated construction.
The draft amendments to the Belgrade Waterfront spatial plan, compiled on a total of 79 pages, were made available for public viewing from 12th to 26th November. Dr Cukic explains that a 15-day public viewing is allowed only when it involves minor changes to the documents, which relate to less than a third of the planning documents. Here, however, two-thirds of the planning documents have been changed, as they now envisage new road infrastructure and a change in social infrastructure.
“Changing the urban plan in a way it is done is illegal. The amendments to the plan should have followed the whole procedure from start to finish – 15 days of first viewing, analysis by experts and taking note of objections, then 30 days of public viewing and a public hearing,” says Dr Cukic.
Page 73 of the draft amendments shows where the planned changes are located. It can thus be seen that in block 30 the permitted construction increases from 9m to 100m in height, in block 27 from 25m to 100m, in blocks 16 and 22 from 45m to 100m, in blocks 17, 20, 26, 28, 29 from 60m to 100m and the increase in permitted height to 100m is also noted in blocks 19.2 and 21.
It can also be seen that the percentage of the minimum vegetation area has been reduced for Central Park from 75% to 50%, and for the park near the new pedestrian bridge from 70 to 50%.
The area under vegetation is reduced from 60% to 40% in one neighbourhood, and for another that was supposed to have a minimum of 50% green areas, the area is now going to be completely paved. The number of protective green belts planned, which were intended to reduce the negative effects of traffic as well as the formation of visual barriers, was also reduced from 9 to 7.
(Nova, 30.11.2021)
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