Although the summer season is on the verge of peak season, the Municipality of Budva has not submitted a proposal for the Temporary Facilities Program for the period 2024-2028 to the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property.
This was officially confirmed to "Vijesti" by the department headed by Slaven Radunović.
The old Program for the Installation of Temporary Facilities expired in December 2023, and since then the local government has not adopted a new program, which is why it enters this summer without a key planning document that regulates how temporary facilities will be installed in public areas, from restaurant terraces to kiosks and stands.
The adoption of a new program in the Budva parliament requires prior approval from the Ministry.
"Temporary facilities are now regulated by the Law on Construction of Facilities, which entered into force on March 5, 2025. Temporary facilities are erected, or built, in accordance with the Temporary Facilities Program, adopted by the assembly of the local self-government unit, upon previously obtained consent from the Ministry, as well as from the competent state and local authorities. In May 2025, the Municipality of Budva submitted to the Ministry the text of the Temporary Facilities Program, which was submitted for public discussion, and on which no opinion is given. Therefore, only after the Municipality of Budva submits the established Proposal for the Temporary Facilities Program will the Ministry assess whether the conditions for granting the prescribed consent have been met," the Ministry informed "Vijesti".
Just before the weekend, the municipality published a report on its website from the public hearing on the established Draft Program for Temporary Facilities, detailing which objections from citizens, caterers, and businesses were adopted and which were rejected.
Although it was expected that the new city government, gathered around "Budva our city", the European Union and the Civic Movement URA with the support of the Democratic Party of Socialists, would adopt a new Temporary Facilities Program by the start of the season and clean Budva of inappropriate content in the contact zone of the Old Town and along the Budva and Petrovac promenades, this did not happen.
The problem is, until a new planning document is adopted, the administration of the Mayor of the Municipality Nikola Jovanović is trying to resolve it with the Decision on granting consent to extend the lease of locations for the installation of temporary facilities for 2024 and 2025, which will be before the councilors on Wednesday, when an urgent session of the local parliament has been scheduled.
As stated in the decision that "Vijesti" had access to, consent is given until the adoption of a new Program of Temporary Facilities for the territory of the Municipality of Budva (2024-2028).
"The lease of locations is approved to persons who, in accordance with the Public Invitation, were selected as the most favorable bidders and concluded appropriate Contracts with the Municipality in accordance with the Temporary Facilities Program for the Territory of the Municipality of Budva (2019-2023). The consent applies to tenants who have duly settled their contractual obligations so far, and who are in continuous possession of the leased locations even after the expiration of the contracted period," the decision states.
With the decision, Jovanović most likely intends to collect rent for last year, since none of the tenants paid for the use of municipal land during the summer of 2024. This applies not only to locations along the city promenades, but also to the contact zone of the Old Town, along the ramparts themselves and within them, but also to locations in Budva itself, Petrovac, and other coastal towns and the periphery.
The decision was prepared by the Secretariat for Property Protection, which found its legal basis in the Law on State Property.
“Vijesti” previously reported that the draft of the new Temporary Facilities Program for the period until 2028 allegedly followed the recommendation of the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Heritage to remove the metal awnings above the restaurant terraces along the Old Town walls and replace them with beige parasols. Restaurant terraces will have to be “distanced” five meters from the walls, but also have a maximum of 30 tables. The terraces will be marked with markers, so that the Municipal Police will be able to determine on the spot whether a restaurant has expanded its terrace.
Bearing in mind the preservation of the cultural-historical, urban, architectural and ambient values of the locations, which partly represent an integral part of the protected urban entity of the Old Town of Budva, the Administration stated in its guidelines that concreting, or "the installation of immovable temporary catering facilities, is not permitted within the boundaries of the cultural property and its protected environment."
"Within the boundaries of cultural properties and their protected surroundings, especially in the immediate vicinity, around and within the walls of the Old Town, it is necessary to define the appearance of catering terrace furniture (umbrellas, accompanying furniture), in a way that it does not compete with or diminish the value of the cultural property, and with the aim of standardizing preparatory facilities and furniture within the boundaries of cultural properties and their surroundings," the guidelines state.
As emphasized, "exclude the possibility of planning free-standing awnings that would be placed on a metal structure, anchored to the base".
"We emphasize that in the immediate vicinity, around and within the walls of the Old Town of Budva, it is not possible to install enclosed gardens, terrace glazing with anodized/al/pvc hardware and glass," the guidelines conclude.
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