Why was the Spatial and Urban Plan not adopted, which parts of the Budva municipality are not covered by planning documents, which detailed urban plans are in force, which have expired, which are in the development phase, and which state institutions and competent authorities are "to blame" for the fact that the tourism metropolis is not fully covered by spatial planning, are questions to which "Vijesti" did not receive answers from the Budva Municipality, despite the urgency that was sent to the office of the Mayor of the Municipality.
The construction business has been one of the most profitable in Budva for two decades, where millions are "turned over" annually. The city authorities in all previous years, including the current one, have won votes and taken over the management of the tourism metropolis, precisely with the help of the construction lobby, which, given the current situation in Budva, is most likely to implement their projects - mainly the construction of apartments for the market.
We would like to remind you that the development of the Spatial and Urban Plan (SUP) of the Municipality of Budva is still ongoing, and is currently in the draft correction phase.
Two key detailed urban plans, “Budva Center Amendments” and “Bečići”, expired in 2014, but are being implemented by the municipal authorities, and the relevant ministry regularly issues building permits. These are also the two most attractive construction areas.
Tens of thousands of square meters have been built on the area covered by these two controversial planning documents in the past nine years since the Democratic Party of Socialists "fell" from power, and it was precisely those who came to power, primarily parties and groups of citizens created by the breakup of the former Democratic Front, who blamed the DPS for the construction chaos and concretization of Budva.
Although the Democrats managed to impose a one-year moratorium on the DUP "Budva Center" in 2017, by taking power in Budva together with the DF, which was then repealed, and also put the DUP "Petrovac" out of force in 2019, they did not manage to overturn the DUP "Bečići" that year, which outlined an incredible three million square meters of residential and commercial space in that coastal town.
The then Democratic Front led by Marko Carević ignored the call of the Democrats to overturn the DUP “Bečići” planning document, which was the beginning of the end of that government, and new elections were held in the summer of 2020. However, this was precisely what helped Carević win power. The planning documents and promises made by politicians, sometimes from the ranks of the DPS, and then from the ranks of the DF, enabled them to win the votes of citizens in the elections. The fight against the uncontrolled urbanization of Budva always fell through before the elections.
Unfortunately, a large part of Budva is still not covered by planning documents, most of the outskirts, but also attractive parts of the city of Budva itself.
Although it was expected that the adoption of the PUP would stop the construction rampage in Budva, that will most likely take a while. Until then, the Municipality and the relevant ministry are regularly issuing dozens of permits every month.
The amendments to the 2014 Spatial and Urban Plan (SUP) of the municipality of Kolašin were adopted only in February of this year. At the local government level, the amendments to the SUP were initiated six to seven years ago, and the first draft of the plan was completed in 2020. A public hearing was also organized, after which a report was prepared with 230 comments and requests.
In the meantime, the Planning Document Revision Council has been changed, and the 2020 plan has not been continued through further legal procedures. The reasons for the halt and cessation of further work on the then draft plan, as previously stated by the developers, are unknown.
Finally, last year, after a marathon public debate, with several hundred comments and suggestions, a draft decision was defined, which, again for reasons unknown to the general public, waited for adoption until February of this year.
The Special Purpose Spatial Plan (SPSP) “Bjelasica and Komovi” also applies to part of the Kolašin municipality, which includes the area of the massif of these two mountains. In addition to the Kolašin municipality, it also includes the territories of the municipalities of Bijelo Polje, Berane, Andrijevica and Podgorica.
Detailed urban plans (DUP) exist for the Center, Industrial Zone, Breza, Smailagića Polje, Radigojno and Sports Zone.
Detailed site studies have been carried out for two mountain centers on Bjelasica – Kolašin 1450 and Kolašin 1600, as well as for Komovi. Local site studies exist for 14 parts of the Kolašin municipality.
The DUP Centar, or rather the amendments and supplements to that document, were adopted a decade and a half ago. The hyper-construction in the city center, which relies on that planning document, or rather the subsequent interpretations of the developers, which increased both the number of floors and the dimensions of newly built residential and tourist facilities in Kolašin, has been repeatedly questioned. The local opposition and environmental activists have repeatedly proposed a moratorium on the DUP Centar, in order to protect the city center, but the current Kolašin government has not shown the will to do so.
As the Municipality told "Vijesti", the adoption of the new DUP for the Center will probably be the first task of the Agency for Design and Spatial Planning, which was formed in accordance with the new Law on Spatial Planning.
In addition, the local government plans to amend the 2011 Breza DUP and the Smailagića Polje DUP, adopted two years earlier. These parts of the Kolašin municipality have attracted significant interest from investors in recent years, and intensive construction is underway.
Amendments to the Urban Planning Plan are in force for the entire area of the municipality of Nikšić, which provide guidelines for direct application across the largest part of the territory, thus greatly reducing the problem of the lack of detailed plans for Nikšić.
This was answered by "Vijesti" from the Secretariat for Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection.
"The amendments to the Urban Development Plan of the Municipality of Nikšić define the areas for which the development of a DUP was envisaged, and these are mainly parts with undefined regulation, where it is necessary to plan new roads. For some of these areas, detailed plans previously existed, but they were put out of force. During the period when the development of planning documentation was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry, not a single new DUP was developed for our municipality," the response from the competent Secretariat states.
The municipality has 14 DUPs in force for the Nikšić area and four location studies for the municipal area, while no planning documents are being developed.
"The Municipality has a Design and Planning Agency that worked on planning documents until 2019 and will work on them again when it receives a license for which it meets the requirements. We expect that a detailed regulation plan for the municipal center will be prepared in a year, and then, if necessary, for some suburban settlements," the Secretariat for Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection said in a response.
Ministry: New policies in the field of spatial planning
The Law on Spatial Planning, which entered into force on March 5, 2025, provides a normative framework for establishing a new policy in the field of spatial planning, according to the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property.
The solutions prescribed by the Law also include solutions that relate to planning documents within the jurisdiction of local self-government, which stipulate that the spatial and urban plan of the local self-government, as an umbrella planning document at that level, contains guidelines for the legalization of illegal structures, according to the Ministry.
Since the Law on Spatial Planning stipulates the obligation to adopt new planning documents - these planning documents should primarily treat illegal construction in the context of implementing solutions from the regulations on the legalization of illegal structures, the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property emphasizes.
There are no plans in the development phase in Plužine.
As the Municipality of Plužine responded to "Vijesti", the entire territory of the municipality is covered by planning documents, namely the Spatial and Urban Plan of the Municipality of Plužine ("Official Gazette of Montenegro - Municipal Regulations" No. 32/12), and the settlement of Plužine by the Detailed Urban Plan ("Official Gazette of Montenegro - Municipal Regulations" No. 78/21).
"The Municipality of Plužine has one Detailed Urban Plan 'Center' of Plužine ("Official Gazette of Montenegro - Municipal Regulations" No. 78/21) which is in force and refers to the settlement of Plužine. We currently have no plans that are in the development phase, nor in the phase of amendments and supplements. Amendments and supplements to the Spatial and Urban Plan of the Municipality of Plužine ("Official Gazette of Montenegro - Municipal Regulations" No. 32/12) are underway, which will be harmonized with the Spatial Plan of Montenegro," said the Municipality of Plužine.
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