The municipality of Budva is bringing order to the Old Town: Whoever expands the terrace will be left without it

Caterers whose terraces inside the Old Town or around it are larger than what the Municipality has allowed will face the termination of the contract.

This was indicated by the secretary for property protection in a letter to the owners of catering establishments, which "Vijesti" had access to. Đorđe Zenović.

He warns that the urban planning and technical conditions issued years ago are not respected, that the dimensions of the catering terraces are exceeded, that the old town streets are usurped by furniture, and the approaches to the Old Town are blocked.

"Hereby, in front of the authority that is obliged to take care of the property of the Municipality, which includes public areas, squares and streets, as well as public areas designated as catering terraces by the program for the installation of temporary facilities, I am addressing you with a warning that the public areas that are used for use in accordance with the program, guidelines regarding the external appearance of temporary buildings in and around the Old Town, issued urban planning and technical conditions and conceptual solution issued to you by the Office of the Chief City Architect", warned Zenović.

According to him, it has been obvious for years on public areas that within the catering terraces there is equipment and furniture that is not allowed by the issued urban planning and technical conditions, as well as large excesses in the areas of the terraces compared to the areas allowed to users by the program.

"In addition, there is a prescribed and clear provision on the width of the approach and entrance to the Old Town, which must be at least four meters in both directions, as well as a distance from the ramparts of at least two meters, which is generally not respected. It is also evident that the streets and squares are constantly clogged with chairs, beyond the permitted areas, which significantly complicates, and in some cases even makes pedestrian communication impossible. I remind you that at the moment of signing the land lease agreement with the Municipality of Budva, in addition to numerous rights, you also assumed certain obligations, which, unfortunately, are not respected to the extent that they should be, about which the citizens constantly send reports to the Municipal Police and Inspection and to this secretariat. . Among other things, you are obliged to respect the basic conditions issued to you by the lessor, which concern the occupation of the area that has been given to you and the equipment and contents that can be found on the terrace", said Zenović.

He reminded that the Old Town with its bastions was declared a cultural monument of national importance by the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property in 2017, as well as that the Municipality of Budva is now in the best position to receive the status of the European Capital of Culture.

"It is precisely these two reasons that are additionally necessary to emphasize in terms of the call of the Secretariat for Property Protection that we all start to respect the obligations we should have towards the city and its two and a half millennia old tradition and culture. In this sense, I inform you that this authority, in cooperation with the Municipal Police and the Inspectorate, has started an action to control public areas and that, as the competent authority, we have already issued several warnings to unscrupulous tenants before canceling the lease agreement, which as lessors we have the absolute right to do. The cancellation of the lease agreement for this year is not the only sanction that unscrupulous tenants will suffer, but the Secretariat for Property Protection after the end of the tourist season, and in response to the process of developing a new five-year program of temporary objects, will prepare a cross-section and information to the competent secretariat, the President of the Municipality and the Municipal Assembly. , emphasizes Zenović.

As he indicated in the information, it will be ascertained and separated conscientious and unscrupulous tenants in terms of the orderly settlement of the rent fee to the Municipality.

"Also in relation to the way of dealing with other contractual obligations, i.e. issued urban planning and technical conditions, exceeding the occupancy of areas... and all based on the official records of the Municipal Police and the Municipal Inspection. In relation to that section, we will insist that all those locations that were the subject of illegal occupation and unscrupulous business be deleted from the next five-year program. Due to all of the above, we request you in front of the Secretariat to adjust the public areas to the municipal regulations as soon as possible, which you have committed to by signing the land lease agreement. I hope that we will all contribute to a more beautiful appearance and a more pleasant stay for tourists and visitors of the Old Town", concluded Zenović.

At the beginning of May, the Secretariat for Property Protection submitted to the Municipal Police and the Inspectorate a list of the debts owed by tenants of public areas based on the program for the installation of temporary facilities for the territory of the Municipality of Budva, as well as the status of concluded contract annexes, and then invited all restaurateurs to conclude annex contracts and settle their debts to the Municipality.