The new Spatial Plan of Podgorica, which includes Zeta and Tuzi, envisages the conversion of 3.600 hectares or 36 million square meters of agricultural land into construction land.
The Plan states that this is an acceptance of reality because since the previous plan from 2012, the construction of facilities on agricultural land has increased, and there are a large number of new requests for parcelization (fragmentation) and conversion of agricultural land into construction land.
They point out that a permanent change in the purpose of arable agricultural land can only be carried out if the urban plan, or spatial plan with detailed elaboration, provides for a change in purpose, and that the Spatial Plan of Montenegro for the Podgorica subzone does not provide for an explicit prohibition on the permanent conversion of arable agricultural land.
"It is noticeable that the planned settlement areas have been increased by 73 percent. Agricultural areas have been reduced by around 958 hectares, mainly for the needs of settlement expansion and road infrastructure construction," the proposal's explanation states.
According to Monstat data, food and beverage imports for the first six months of this year amounted to 450 million euros, or 2,5 million euros per day, or four euros per day per capita. According to the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of Montenegro, the umbrella development document, agriculture, energy and tourism are defined as priority sectors for development, but according to these requests for conversion, agricultural land owners do not see a future in this.
The Plan states that there is a law on agricultural land that provides for the payment of compensation for conversion, because the existence of agricultural land is in the public interest.
"In order to protect agricultural land, in the event of its temporary use for non-agricultural purposes and a change in the purpose of arable agricultural land, compensation shall be paid, unless otherwise provided for by the Law on Agricultural Land, in the sense of paying compensation only for those areas that are envisaged for conversion in the adopted plan, provided that it is not possible to pay compensation and carry out conversion for any agricultural areas," the Plan states.
The authors point out that in order to protect and improve agricultural land, changes to legal and other regulations should be considered, as well as measures such as premiums for converting uncultivated land into arable land, confiscation of neglected arable land after a certain number of years, and granting it for free use for a certain period.
They also propose the adoption of a law that would discourage the fragmentation of cadastral parcels of agricultural land during inheritance, as well as a law on arondation (consolidation of land).
"For better management of agricultural land by public institutions, it is necessary to implement the legislation in this area," the planners believe.
In the former agricultural center of Montenegro - Zeta, the area under agricultural land has been reduced from 6.957 hectares in 2012 to the current purpose of 5.878 hectares. That is, it has been reduced by 16 percent, or 1.080 hectares or almost 11 million square meters. In the Golubovci area itself, agricultural areas are decreasing from 615 to 427 hectares or by 31 percent.
"The focus of urbanization on the area of existing settlements, with the aim of protecting agricultural land, has not been achieved. There is a large demographic growth and development of continuous urbanization along the main road and other significant communications. The merging of individual settlements into shapeless, urban agglomerations is partly the result of the lack of adopted planning documents... Agricultural areas are located on the perimeter of the urban area of Golubovci, so they are separated from the urban part of the city by the plan, which preserves large arable areas, while splitting them into smaller areas," the Plan states.
Planners say they have tried to preserve as much agricultural land as possible, as well as planning measures to drain wetlands where possible and protect agricultural land from continued gravel mining.
"Urbanization development should be directed to the urban areas of Golubovci and Beglake-Golubovci. In other settlements, urbanization growth is limited within the boundaries of current settlements. All agricultural complexes where it is possible to organize intensive agriculture are permanently protected. Organized land reclamation and land consolidation (irrigation and drainage) are planned," the plan's guidelines state.
At the same time, the area of settlements in Zeta is expanding from 1.378 hectares in 2012 to the current plan's planned 1.821 hectares.
The highest quality land in the National Park protection zone
The highest quality agricultural lands are located within the regimes and borders of the "Skadar Lake" National Park, as well as land with potential for tourism development, which is why they state that these are the main opportunities and, at the same time, limitations for development in this protection zone.
"All measures should encourage the development of intensive agriculture (fruit and vegetables), improve the urban, traffic and utility standards of settlements within the current construction areas; land drainage and improvement of the potential for tourism development is possible based on the requirements of the national park regime. Mineral exploitation should be limited to areas that can be recultivated and that are not in the national park and intensive agriculture zones. Gravel and sand are currently being exploited from the Morača riverbed and its tributaries, which has devastated the area and groundwater of the Zeta Plain and its edges, and therefore measures must be taken to rehabilitate and recultivate the degraded environment," the Plan states.
Intensive agriculture must be subject to measures to protect groundwater and surface waters, as well as the protection of ecosystems and natural qualities in the zone of the "Skadar Lake" National Park, as well as in the contact zone of the park.
Building land in Tuzi increased by 73 percent
In the Tuzi region, the area of land for agricultural purposes is also decreasing from 6.574 to 5.619 hectares, or by 958 hectares, or by almost ten million square meters.
At the same time, the area under settlements is expanding, from 661 hectares in 2012 to the current planned 1.146 hectares.
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