The start of work on four chalets (villas), which are being built by the Ski Resort Kolašin 1450 company, can only begin after the implementation of activities related to the water supply needs of the mountain resorts Kolašin 1450 and Kolašin 1600, and the construction of a central wastewater treatment plant on Bjelasica.
This was ordered by a decision by which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave its approval to the Environmental Impact Assessment Studies for the construction of villas number 16, 17, 26 and 28.
"The project holder is ordered that activities related to the construction of single-family accommodation units - chalets number 26 and 28 in Kolašin, on a part of urban plot UP 14, consisting of cadastral plots no. 999/9 KO Smrčje, within the PPPN 'Bjelasica and Komovi', DRL 'Kolašin 1450', within the Kolašin 1450 mountain center in Kolašin, may only begin after the implementation of activities related to the water supply needs of the Kolašin 1450 and Kolašin 1600 mountain centers, and the construction of a central wastewater treatment plant for the Kolašin 1600 mountain center. The Kolašin 1450 ski resort is obliged to obtain a permit or approval for the construction of single-family accommodation units within two years from the date of receipt of this decision," the EPA decision states.
The same applies to the other two villas. The EPA approved the updated studies, after requesting changes to the previous versions. After the revised version was submitted, the commission determined that they were in accordance with the law and that the environmental protection measures envisaged were satisfactory. It was also ordered that the environmental inspection be notified before the start of work to verify that all protective measures had been implemented.
The company of the same name, owned by Zoran Ćoć Bećirović, is building the Kolašin 1450 Mountain Center. In that part of Bjelasica, near the businessman's ski resort, several dozen villas and several hotels are planned to be built by different owners, some of which have been completed.
All these facilities are awaiting the completion of the project, which, as planned, should provide quantities of water for snowmaking and water supply to the trails and facilities on Bjelasica.
Blagota Radović, one of the investors of the hotel at the Kolašin 1450 site, spoke to Vijesti in April about the challenge of communal infrastructure, saying that for five years "nothing has been done in terms of infrastructure" at that site. He reminded that "no water, no electricity, no sewage and atmospheric sewage systems have been provided, the problem of wastewater has not been solved..."
The state has decided to use the waters of the Ljavaja River to make snow on the slopes and supply water to facilities on Bjelasica. According to the residents of the village of Mušovića Rijeka and environmental activists, this controversial project is currently at a standstill. Namely, the residents have been protesting for months, asking the state to find another solution for supplying water to mountain centers. They believe that the “megalomaniacal project of piping the river “uphill” is a harmful business for the state, public interest and the environment. They demand that “experts finally examine the water potential on Bjelasica, that is, in locations near mountain centers, hotels and slopes”.
"We know the obligations of both the state and local governments towards investors of condo hotels and villas on Bjelasica. However, we claim that there are cheaper and far better solutions to these problems for the environment and the public interest. There is enough water on Bjelasica, which the state and the Municipality, for reasons unknown to us, refuse to confirm through expert hydrological testing. Among us are people who are nearing the end of their eighth decade of life and who know Bjelasica, all its springs and watercourses that never dry up. We are once again offering assistance to the authorities to show these watercourses," was the message from one of the latest gatherings of locals and activists who oppose the project.
Residents of the village in Kolasin have repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with the poor planning and implementation of urban development projects on Bjelasica. They claim that plans for intensive construction (hyperconstruction) were made without prior assessment of whether basic infrastructure conditions, such as water supply and sewage, are in place.
They criticized "the fact that ski slopes and hotels were built first, and only now are attempts being made to solve the basic problems, which entails serious consequences."
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