CIN-CG Concreting threatens "Morača" again: Business and commercial buildings planned on the site of the former barracks

Ownership of one of the most attractive plots of land in the center of Podgorica, the land of the former Morača barracks above the riverbank, was recently taken over by the company ABC Ventures, whose executive director is Vlado Vuković, and the owner Anton JurovickiWith the amendments to the Spatial and Urban Plan (PUP) of Podgorica from August 2025, the development coefficient on this plot was drastically increased and it was given the purpose of "central activity", which, in addition to public facilities, also allows for the commercial construction of hotels, restaurants, conference and other facilities.

Such a planning solution leaves wide room for interpretation and various investment projects, so it is justified to wonder whether, instead of being a public good, the space will ultimately be damaged and turned into concrete.

This is a space that citizens, activists and a part of the professional community have been advocating for years to serve the public interest, as a green space, where cultural institutions will be located, and not a location for residential and commercial construction. This concept was also publicly accepted during the mandate of the Mayor of the Capital City. Oliver Injac.

"It is incredible that after eight years of fighting for the Morača barracks, citizens again have to fight for that space. And after the completed International Competition and the excellent conceptual solutions for the construction of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), the House of Architecture and the Natural History Museum, and the general social consensus that this space must be preserved for public facilities, today we again have to fight against these new harmful plans," he tells Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) Luka Rakcevic, who for years in the Podgorica parliament on behalf of the Civic Movement URA, but also as a citizen of Podgorica, advocated for the Morača barracks to be primarily a space intended for citizens, through cultural content, public facilities and green spaces.

The competition was announced in 2023 and was part of a broader vision to transform the former military complex into a public, cultural space. The first prize was won by the Italian architectural team “A-fact” (Architecture Factory), and after the selection, it was announced that the development of project documentation and phased implementation would begin.

As can be seen on the Public Procurement Portal, in December 2025, the Ministry of Public Works announced a tender for the development of the main design for the facilities of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Natural History Museum, the House of Architecture and the Park of Culture and Art. The deadline for submitting bids was January 19, 2026, and the client is seeking design services in the field of architecture and urban planning for the entire complex. But that is only part of the story.

ABC Ventures, which now owns part of this land, plot 2211/9 in the Podgorica II zoning district, measuring 17 square meters, is planning to build a business or commercial facility where, as they told CIN-CG, there will be no residential construction. In response to our questions, they also stated that everything will be in accordance with the current planning documentation.

"In accordance with the Urban Planning and Development Plan, the specific architectural and urban design concept for the location in question will be defined through a public competition. We have submitted an initiative to the Ministry of Urban Development and Urban Planning of Montenegro to announce a public competition of an international nature for the development of an urban architectural design concept," ABC Ventures told CIN-CG.

Researcher at the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL) and member of the organization “Who if not an architect” (KANA) Sonja Dragovic points out that "it is important to remember that the space was once almost planned, so that the greatest possible financial benefit could be extracted from it, regardless of the effect that this would have on the quality of the space itself and the wider public interest."

He states that at the beginning of 2018, a public debate was held on the Urban Planning Project (UP) "Morača Barracks", which envisaged the demolition of existing buildings and the construction of dense housing and business development, based on a model similar to the City Quarter.

"Then, together with other organized citizens of Podgorica, we reacted: we invited the public to a discussion, submitted extensive comments, and through a petition launched by the URA at the time, over eight thousand signatures were collected for the planning and construction of public facilities in this area. After such a strong reaction from citizens, and after numerous criticisms expressed at the public hearing (by the way, still one of the most massive central public hearings on a planning document in Podgorica), the authorities no longer mentioned the UP that envisaged the concreting of the Morača barracks. It was precisely this strong civic engagement that opened the space for museum and cultural facilities to be planned and announced through a competition on the part of the location that remained in public ownership, which today represents a rare and valuable step towards the public interest in the center of Podgorica," says Dragović.

However, as he says, in the process of amending the 2025 Urban Development Plan, despite the request of the Capital City and part of the public to complete the whole exclusively with public and cultural facilities, the final solution retained the purpose of "central activities" on private plots.

"In addition, the amendments to the plan abandon the idea of ​​developing a UP and envisage 'direct implementation' from the PUP, with a mandatory public competition. In practice, this means that key decisions on the form and intensity of construction are shifted to less publicly visible and more difficult to understand channels, while the public is left with the narrative of the 'competition' as a guarantee of quality. The competition may improve the architectural expression, but it does not resolve the essential question: why is space being left for commercial construction on the banks of the Morača, in the very center of Podgorica and in the immediate contact zone of the future museum center, at all, which obviously and explicitly suits private interests," Dragović states.

He also says that there was a politically quite realistic alternative: to return the space, which had been public for decades, to public ownership through purchase, expropriation or exchange, and to plan the entire location as a public entity with facilities compatible with museums and the green corridor of the Morača, such as culture, education, science, administration and other public programs.

"This would round out the new public cultural infrastructure in the city and prevent private interest from nesting in the middle of the future public zone through planning parameters that enable intensive construction and literally ensure significant profit for the private investor. Therefore, the key question remains: how, on what basis, was the purpose of 'central activity' retained in the adopted Amendments and Supplements to the plan, when several requests during the public debate requested that this space be given a public purpose? The answer to that would explain why now, instead of a logical and quite easily achievable commitment to an entity that would be a new cultural corridor, we have a planning solution that allows a private owner to acquire new square footage on the banks of the Morača River," explains Dragović.

Significantly more intensive construction enabled

Amendments to the Podgorica Urban Development Plan have resulted in a serious increase in the permitted development in the area of ​​the “Morača Barracks”. The development coefficient has been increased from 0,6 to as much as 1,4, although such a change was not requested by any of the comments submitted during the public hearing.

"The very fact that from the 'public debate' to the final adoption of the Amendments and Supplements to the Podgorica Urban Development Plan, the plan developer increased the development coefficient for 'Morača Barracks' from 0,6 to 1,4 best confirms that the Capital City, headed by the Mayor, Saša Mujović"The relevant ministry and the Government consciously supported the devastation of the area and helped investors to start aggressive construction, while absolutely no one in the comments from the public debate even requested such an increase in coefficients," Rakčević states.

The Capital City did not respond to CIN-CG's inquiries until the publication of this article.

The Ministry of Urban Development and Urban Planning explained to CIN-CG that the Amendments to the Podgorica Urban Development Plan divided the former barracks into two units with a total area of ​​about 81,5 thousand square meters. One part, they say, remains intended for culture, and the other is planned for central activities (business and public facilities). As they say, construction is planned on the area intended for "central activities" based on the guidelines from the plan, with a mandatory public competition for a conceptual urban and architectural solution.

"On the areas of central activities, business, administrative, commercial and service facilities or similar facilities for business purposes, catering facilities and facilities for tourist accommodation such as a 5* hotel (without the possibility of condos or similar business models), a multifunctional center or conference center, business buildings, cultural facilities, recreational facilities with a unique landscape expression in the part towards the Morača River, facilities and infrastructure network, parking lots and garages for accommodating vehicles of employees, users and visitors can be planned. It is not allowed to plan residential facilities within this purpose," the MPPUDI states.

Dragović explains that the Draft Amendments to the Podgorica Urban Development Plan, which was submitted for public discussion for part B of the Morača Barracks location, with an area of ​​about 30 square meters, clearly set out more restrictive urban planning parameters.

"Occupation index maximum 0,2 and construction index maximum 0,6, with the emphasis that the space be further developed through a more detailed planning document, in accordance with the competition solution for the contact zone of cultural objects and the landscaping of the Morača bank."

"In the adopted version of the plan, these parameters have been significantly raised: the occupancy index increased to a maximum of 0,4, and the development index to a maximum of 1,4, which is a change that directly increases the scope of permitted construction and the investment value of the location," warns Dragović.

"On this area, therefore, with this amendment, the maximum permitted land occupation doubles (from around 6.178 to around 12.357 square meters), and the potential gross construction area increases from approximately 18.535 to 43.248 square meters - this is an increase of around 24.700 square meters, meaning that more than 2,3 times more square meters can now be built here than was envisaged in the Draft Amendments to the PUP," she explains.

He also points out that the problem is not just the huge increase in permitted development, but also the way in which it is happening.

"According to publicly available information about the course and result of the public debate, no one requested such an increase, nor was the public given any explanation as to why the Draft was deviated from in the part that crucially determines the intensity of construction on the banks of the Morača River, in the contact zone of future museum facilities and the green corridor. However, citizens who are trying to advocate for the public interest in spatial planning in Podgorica through public debates will not, unfortunately, be surprised; this only shows once again that procedures are reduced to formality, while key decisions on square footage and profit are made outside of publicly visible and understandable channels."

From NLB Bank to Coinis

According to data from the Business Network, the owner of this valuable plot 2211/9 is the company ANEKRETNINE DOO PODGORICA, which was owned by NLB Bank for years. This company, along with the land, was purchased by the Čelebić company several years ago, during the period when the Urban Planning Project “Kasarna Morača” was being developed, which planned as much as 150 thousand square meters of residential and commercial construction.

Recently, there was a new change in ownership: Čelebić, who had 100 percent ownership in the company ANEKRETNINE, sold 82 percent of his shares to ABC Ventures.

According to the Business Network's data on the ownership structure, ABC Ventures is affiliated with Coinis (these are sister companies) whose owners are also the owners of ABC Ventures. ANEKRETNINA's executive director has been appointed Vlado VukovićIt is also interesting that the address of the company ANEKRETNINE has changed and is now registered at the same location where Coinis operates.

Coinis is a domestic IT and digital company that has already been publicly linked to controversial urban development projects in the center of Podgorica - the reconstruction and renovation of the Vujović House in Bokeška Street, a building built in the first half of the 20th century that is of great cultural and historical value for Podgorica. In this area, Coinis, in cooperation with Corner Construction, built a new five-story office building. This project caused great controversy and disapproval from experts, due to interventions that deviated from the original plan.

The project also included the construction of a garage, and Coinis promised at the time that it would preserve the recognizable facade of the old Vujović House. However, during the construction work, the facade was not preserved, and the building was almost completely demolished. Coinis said at the time that they had done everything in accordance with the law and project documentation, and that the Vujović House was a ruin that posed a danger to passersby. They claimed that all experts agreed that there was no safe way to preserve the house and fit it into the new building according to the current planning solution.

Disputed amendments to the Podgorica Urban Development Plan

During the drafting of the Amendments to the Spatial and Urban Plan (PUP) of Podgorica, at a public hearing in December 2024, which, as CIN-CG has already written, did not actually take place, but was only simulated, comments were officially submitted on behalf of the Capital City with a clear request to exclude the possibility of residential and commercial construction on the site of the former "Morača Barracks" and to retain that location for facilities of public interest.

Plan development manager Aleksandra Tošić Jokić In part, the text acknowledged these remarks, emphasizing that this space should be developed in accordance with the previous competition solution and cultural content.

However, the final version of the plan still retained the purpose of “central activity”, which is a planning category that, in addition to public and cultural facilities, also allows for the construction of residential and commercial buildings. This, despite the formal acceptance of the objections, practically left open the possibility for commercial housing construction on this plot.

In the comments submitted during the public debate on the Amendments to the Podgorica Urban Development Plan, the then representative of the Capital City requested that the location be precisely defined as exclusively public and cultural use, bearing in mind that the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Natural History Museum and the House of Architecture were previously planned on cadastral plot 2211/9 and the contact plots, for which an international competition had already been conducted and significant funds had been allocated in the budget.

The comment emphasized that retaining the general category of “central activities” could open up space for housing and commercial facilities, and it was proposed that the planning document explicitly stipulate that only cultural, educational or administrative facilities of public interest are permitted. It also pointed out the need for the Government of Montenegro and the Capital City to consider models for purchasing or exchanging plots with private owners, in order to ensure that the space remains in the function of a public good.

In Tošić Jokić's response, it was stated that the guidelines have already defined the facilities that can be built in that area, taking into account the competition solution, and that detailed elaboration will be the subject of other planning documents. It was emphasized that "higher buildings and cultural facilities" are recognized as possible facilities and that the plan does not prevent the implementation of such facilities.

Since the purpose of the "central activity" has not been changed, this formally leaves the possibility of building commercial facilities, which in practice means that the space is not protected exclusively as a public cultural complex.

It is also interesting that the company ANEKRETNINE DOO PODGORICA submitted a comment during the public hearing disputing the planning solution. As can be seen from the comments submitted during the public hearing on the Amendments to the Podgorica Urban Development Plan, they stated that the location "is not precisely defined and harmonized", and that "areas for culture and central activities are not precisely stated".

They also proposed that plot 2211/3 be excluded from location B because, as they stated, due to its distance, "it cannot represent a physical or functional whole" with the rest of the area.

They also pointed out that the plan is not clear, because in one place it states that the construction rules have already been determined based on an international competition, and in another place it states that a special urban planning project has yet to be developed.

"The plan stipulates that the part of the location intended for culture will be implemented according to the guidelines given within the framework of the conducted international competition, which is unacceptable, because we as the owners were not given the opportunity to express our opinion regarding the contents planned in the competition solution," the company stated at the time.

The response from the head of the plan development, Tošić Jokić, stated that the objection of the company ANEKRETNINE DOO PODGORICA was "partially accepted", with the explanation that the plan defined that the area "is planned in accordance with the guidelines of this plan, and in accordance with the law, through a public competition".

One of the last large green areas along the Morača River

"If there is a Constitutional Court, the Podgorica PUP and such solutions must fall, at least and not only because of the 'Morača Barracks', and if the leadership of the Capital City (which supported such a PUP) thinks that we will silently observe their adoption of a lower-level plan that will destroy the 'Morača Barracks' - they were sorely mistaken. When we protected the 'Morača Barracks' from the then all-powerful DPS in 2018, we will certainly protect it from today's leaders who continue the DPS practices and destroy everything they touch with equal zeal," Rakčević points out.

The former barracks area is one of the most beautiful and valuable in Podgorica, located right on the riverbank and a few minutes' walk from the city center. It is one of the last large undeveloped complexes in this part of the city.

Created as a military complex during the socialist Yugoslavia, “Morača Barracks” was a closed, fenced and inaccessible space to the public for decades, a kind of “city within a city”. After the end of its military function, a huge urban potential remained: more than 17 thousand square meters of land with existing buildings, greenery and direct contact with the Morača River.

It is precisely this location that numerous citizens, activists, and the professional public have seen for years as an opportunity for Podgorica to get a large public park, a cultural district, or simply a space for various activities where people would gather and socialize.