The just completed public presentation for the urban planning project (UP) for the construction of 12 residential villas in Dedinje between Užička, Krajiška and Kačanička streets revealed many irregularities and illegalities. We single out two: the demolition of the villa "Crnogorka" and, in layman's terms, circumventing the legal sequence of drafting planning documents.
The investor of this UP is Princess Park doo, daughter of Deka Inženjering doo, whose majority owners are Andrej Jovanović and Bojan Milovanović, former owners of Marbo Product doo.
investor
"In addition to being the majority owner of the real estate sales company Princess Park doo, the construction company Deka Inženjering is also the sole owner of the elevator production, assembly and servicing company David Pajić Daka, which in previous years won tenders for the maintenance of elevators in the amount of millions from JP Gradsko sambono Belgrade and the Ministry of Finance. Several years ago, the Pistaljka portal connected the co-owner of the Dean of Engineering, Andrej Jovanović, with the Minister of Finance, Siniša Mali," Sanja Solarević, councilor of the Green-Left Front in the Savski venac Municipal Assembly, reminds "Vreme".
An official residence is planned
According to Sanja Solarević, the urban planning project (UP) that was shown at the public presentation divided the 1,4 ha plot into 9 smaller plots, although according to higher-level plans, according to the General Regulation Plan of Belgrade and the Regulatory Plan of the Dedinje Spatial Unit, it it is not allowed. This division of one plot into nine smaller ones allows the investor to build a much larger number of square meters than allowed.
"The regulatory plan of the Dedinje spatial unit has planned for this area to be used for public service facilities, i.e. official residences, because Villa Crnogorka, the former Embassy of Montenegro, is located here. Also, for this area, the regulatory plan prohibits pre-parceling, i.e. dividing it into several smaller plots", says Sanja Solarević.
Villa Montenegro
Villa "Crnogorka" has 875 square meters, it was confiscated from the Karađorđević royal family in August 1947, it was the Embassy of Montenegro, in 2013 it was returned to Princess Jelisaveta Karađorđević, and five years later the princess sold it to the company "Princess Park".
"According to the valid General Urban Plan of Belgrade, which is a plan of the highest order, this area is located in the spatial cultural-historical unit of Dedinje, which enjoys previous protection and for which the elaboration of the protection study is underway. That is why it is inadmissible to demolish Villa Crnogorka and to change the urban matrix of this area due to the construction of buildings that do not fit into the cultural-historical whole," points out Sanja Solarević.
In the conditions of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Belgrade, which were given to the authors of the UP, the following was also stated:
"Each new construction must respect and further affirm the existing environment and all its values." Architectural achievements preserved to this day, as well as the urban matrix of this part of Belgrade, form a special, unique and authentic urban space that represents an essential part of the historical, architectural, stylistic, artistic and urban identity of the capital. Representative buildings surrounded by rich greenery and garden solutions, of high architectural, urban and stylistic values, represent the high values of this area. They are a reflection of historical, political, economic, social, cultural and general social changes in the history of the development of Belgrade."
That is why the conditions of the Institute emphasize that "none of these layers and values must be endangered in any further transformations of the space."
What does the investor say?
In the UP, it was stated that there is one main residential building on the site - a villa, located approximately in the center of gravity of the complex, but which is in a devastated state. "The existing building in Užička no. 1, built on the land that Princess Olga bought for her family in 1940. Over time, through subsequent interventions, it lost its authenticity and monumental properties. It is valued as an object without major architectural-urbanistic and cultural-historical values, which can be removed."
Sanja Solarević says that "considering that Villa Crnogorka is one of the symbols of this part of Dedinje and that it fully fits into the existing urban matrix, its demolition is absolutely unacceptable."
Area enlargement
Then: The regulatory plan allows the building on the plot to occupy 20% of the plot area. However, UP envisages the construction of two villas on 6 plots, which means that they will occupy 50 percent of each of those plots and thus provide the investor with more housing space.
Even the minimum percentage of green areas of 40 percent was not respected, plus, the proposed UP foresees the reduction of the existing ones: due to the extension of Krajiška Street, it is planned to cut down the existing trees, and that on the plot belonging to the registered Hyde Park natural property.
Still on breaking the law
In general, the urban plan of Belgrade (GUP) foresees that first a detailed regulation plan (PDR) should be drawn up, so the investor made a decision to proceed that way, to do the PDR. But then he changed his mind and decided to draw up an urban project, i.e. a lower planning document.
"The urban project is an urban - technical document that serves for the development of planning documents such as the PDR and cannot replace it. UP should be done in accordance with PDR", explains Sanja Solarević.
Why did the investor change his mind?
"Unlike the PDR, which is adopted by the Assembly of the City of Belgrade and whose drafting citizens can influence with objections submitted at all stages of its drafting, the UP is approved by the Commission for Plans without a public hearing. Bearing in mind the reversed order of preparation of planning documents, there is a justified fear that the subsequent preparation of the PDR would lead to abuse, i.e. that its task would be to subsequently cover the exceeded square footage of the buildings that had already been foreseen by the UP, a lower planning document."
Dedinje means that it will be parceled out as it suits the investor Princess Park doo, it will be approved by the detailed regulation plan, and everything will be according to the law.
