PGR: THE DEVELOPMENT OF BELGRADE IN THE SHADOW OF THE HOLIDAYS

Regarding the decision to hold public review of the Draft Amendments and Supplements to the Plan of General Regulation of Belgrade (PGR) during the New Year and Christmas holidays, we believe that the unacceptable practice of reducing public participation to a formal minimum continues, i.e. implementing arbitrariness and procedures that prevent direct participation of citizens in the processes decision-making.

The period of New Year's and Christmas holidays cannot be the time to review one of the most important documents defining the spatial development of Belgrade..

Let us recall that the PGR of Belgrade is an umbrella urban planning document that more closely defines the strategic goals defined by the General Urban Plan of Belgrade (GUP). This operative urban plan comprehensively looks at the space and plans the construction area in more detail, defines traffic and infrastructure systems, public facilities and complexes and defines in more detail the planned purpose of the areas and the way of further implementation (through a detailed regulation plan, urban project, etc.). Therefore he represents a document of essential importance for the spatial development of the entire city of Belgrade and the quality of life in it, and as such, it must be developed while respecting the principles of public participation and wider social dialogue.

We remind you that the definition of the strategic goals of the city's development, i.e. the preparation of the General Urban Plan of Belgrade until 2041, is in progress. This process was started more than two years ago, without adequate consultation with the public. In this context, the sequence of public reviews and the possible adoption of plans of a strategic and regulatory (operational) character is illogical. Despite this, the competent institutions continue to make amendments to the Plan of General Regulation of Belgrade, which is based on the provisions of the currently valid GUP, set back in 2003.

The current course of the PGR amendment procedure is completely confusing for the citizens, whose environment and life are directly affected by these changes. Namely, until now the early public inspection of the 1st phase of the PGR and the public inspection of the 1st stage of the 1st phase of the PGR have been held, but it is completely unclear in what way, according to which criteria and what is the justification for the separation of the elements of the city's development and their separation consideration through this phased procedure of changes and additions. The great importance of the PGR, which is reflected in the direct consequences that its provisions have on the citizens' environment, is precisely the call for raising the transparency of the procedure for its preparation and investing additional effort to bring all the elements of this complex urban planning document closer to the public.

We underline that the changes and additions to this umbrella urban planning document are taking place even during the global epidemic caused by the Kovid-19 virus, and that even after almost two years since the beginning of the epidemic, the competent authorities have not done anything to make citizens feel sufficiently protected while enjoying the legally prescribed right to participate in the procedures for creating planning documents. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic has been used as an excuse to diminish the right of the interested public to participate in the drafting of planning documents. We remind you that in December of last year, a public session was held at which a decision was made on the draft plan for the detailed regulation of part of the Makiško field. The great public interest in this plan, which is of great importance for the future of Belgrade, and the bad epidemiological situation, were used in such a way that attendance at the public session of the Commission for Plans was made possible, according to the chief urban planner, at the same time as the president of that Commission, only to "necessary citizens". The general regulation plan of Belgrade is another plan for the development of which we are all necessary.

This announcement was sent to the Secretariat for Urbanism and Construction Affairs of the City Administration of the City of Belgrade and the Committee for Plans of the City of Belgrade Assembly, and regarding the information that the Draft Amendments and Supplements to the General Regulation Plan of Belgrade passed the expert control of the Committee for Plans of the City of Belgrade Assembly, and that it is foreseen to be subject to public review for 30 days, which would begin on December 20, 2021. As this represents an extremely important plan for the future development of the city, it is crucial that the professional public, representatives of civil society organizations, neighborhood and civic initiatives, and the interested public in general, get involved in the processes of adopting spatial policies and management, to be timely and substantially informed, to participate in public insights and discussions, to be able to declare how he sees his cities and municipalities, what kind of management he wants, and to influence that all standards of environmental protection and human rights are respected. Bearing this in mind, it is completely inappropriate for such a document to be open for public inspection during the holidays, and we demand the postponement of this inspection and a more proactive approach by the institutions in the wider dialogue about the future of the city.

The announcement is signed by:

New planning practice, Ministry of Space, Regulatory Institute for Renewable Energy and the Environment - RERI, Econaut, Center for Experiments and Urban Studies - CEUS, UG Streets for cyclists