The building of the Academy of Knowledge for a decade and a half without a permit

The Secretariat for Urban Planning and Sustainable Development rejected the request of its colleagues from the Secretariat for Investments to issue a use permit for the building of the Academy of Knowledge, because the complete documentation was not submitted.

This continues the agony, because the building that houses several faculties, the National Library, business offices, holds the most important gatherings, conferences, owned by the Municipality 15 years since it was built, is still waiting for a use permit.

The Special State Prosecutor's Office received documentation earlier about how the Municipality of Budva, at the time when it was managed by the DPS-SDP coalition with the Podgorica company "Cijevna Komerc", built this building, but so far no indictment has been brought against anyone.

The Secretariat for Investments did not answer the questions of "Vijesti", which are the problems due to which the building cannot get a use permit.

"The request of the Secretariat for Investments to issue a use permit for the Academy of Knowledge facility is rejected as improper," reads the decision, which "Vijesti" had access to.

As the review of the submitted request, as stated, found that the documentation prescribed by the Law on Spatial Planning and Building Construction was not submitted, the Secretariat for Investments was invited to submit the missing documentation within eight days.

From that Secretariat, they did not submit a valid building permit, a statement from the contractor, supervising engineer and lead designer that the building was built in accordance with the building permit, as well as an elaboration of the original field data of the derived condition certified by a licensed geodetic organization.

Last year, the municipal company of the same name, which manages the Academy of Knowledge, sent a letter to the Cabinet of the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović in which she informed him that the fact that the building does not have a use permit is the main obstacle to Budva getting a University Center

"Vijesti" then announced that the entire case, the dispute with the company 'Cijevna komerc', which worked on the building, was handed over by the Municipality to the Special State Prosecutor's Office.

The status quo situation makes it impossible to expand the offer of the Academy of Knowledge with the aim of forming a University Center, as well as the opening of several departments of renowned faculties from the region, primarily for information technologies,

Also, as it was said at the time from this municipal company, it is necessary to renovate the building as indicated by the Commission for the review of the performed works. The roof of the building, as well as the facade with the canopy, are in such bad condition that even in the case of a slightly stronger wind, it represents a potential danger for passers-by. With those necessary interventions on the building, the conditions for obtaining a use permit would be obtained, and after that, adaptation of the fourth floor would begin.

"Obtaining a use permit for the building of the Academy of Knowledge in Budva would open up numerous other possibilities and complementary activities, one of which is the construction of a student dormitory next to the Academy building, on municipal land. By building the first student dormitory in Budva, foreign students would be provided with accommodation and food, and conditions would be created for the development of (competitive) congress tourism, because in addition to the existing amphitheatres, accommodation would also be available in a separate part of the student dormitory. Of course, in this way, the need for new jobs would be created, i.e. employment of young people would reduce unemployment", the Academy of Knowledge warned at the time.

Administration of the mayor Marko Tsarević already in December 2021 announced the initiation of two court cases against the company "Cijevna komerc", because the contract for the construction of the Academy of Knowledge building was not respected - the return of the excess transferred property that "Cijevna komerc" took from the Municipality (4.400 square meters of land), but also because that it did not remove the deficiencies noted by the Commission for Technical Review and the Supervisory Authority.

The Secretariat for Property Protection was also provided with the contract from 2007 that the Municipality concluded with "Cijevna komerc", as well as a copy of the letter from 2016 where that company confirms that they were handed over surplus land worth 750.117 euros. The municipality insists that the property "Cijevna komerc" be registered in the real estate deeds in the name of claims.

After the dismissal of the DPS-SD authorities, the new city administration initiated a procedure in 2017 in order for the Academy of Knowledge to obtain a use permit, but this is practically impossible, because the technical deficiencies have not been eliminated. The Special State Prosecutor's Office was also interested in the contract concluded by the former city administration with "Cijevna bezimar", which requested that the complete documentation be submitted to them.