Walls are collapsing due to politics: Crack in the walls of the Old Town in Budva will have to wait for repair

The crack in the old town walls on Pizana beach in Budva, a protected cultural property, will most likely not be repaired, because the Municipality, or rather its Secretariat for Urban Planning, announced that it cannot issue urban and technical conditions to the Public Company for Coastal Zone Management, explaining that the location is not covered by local planning documents.

This stems from the documentation that "Vijesti" had access to.

On April 24, the Coastal Department submitted a request to the Secretariat for Urban Planning for the issuance of urban and technical conditions for, as stated, the development of a project to rehabilitate a 25-meter-long section of the Old Town ramparts along Pizana beach, which also includes the damaged section of the retaining wall.

Five days later, the Secretariat for Urban Planning informs Morsko Dobro that they are unable to issue the document.

"Upon reviewing the valid planning documentation of the Municipality of Budva, it was determined that the cadastral plot is not within the scope of the valid local detailed planning documents (detailed urban plan, local location study or urban project). Given the above fact, we inform you that we are unable to issue urban and technical conditions for the construction of the facility," the response from the Secretariat for Urban Planning states.

This continues the agony over the repair of the retaining wall due to the war between the Municipality and Morsko dobro, which arose from the politically motivated split of the once unified Democratic Front and the creation of two currents.

The Public Company for Coastal Zone Management had to terminate the contract with the contractor for the rehabilitation of part of the retaining wall because since October last year, the Municipality has not allowed trucks to enter the Port of Budva and begin work.

Back in February of this year, residents of the Old Town in Budva appealed for a solution to the problem of the retaining wall on Pizana beach, which, according to them, is a priority when it comes to safety and preservation of the coastal area, as soon as possible.

"During this year, citizens, through the competent authorities, with accompanying documentation and photographs, have already pointed out to the Public Company for Coastal Zone Management the need for urgent rehabilitation of this part of the coast. The submitted material clearly records the damage caused by the action of the sea and weather conditions. In addition, back in December 2023, the Local Community 'Stari grad' submitted an official proposal for planning and investments for 2024, which has been duly registered, and which, among other things, lists problems in the coastal zone, including the need to rehabilitate stone structures," the Local Community "Stari grad" told "Vijesti".

The local community announced that on February 19, it wrote to the authorities requesting urgent action and repair of the damage, and called on the Municipality and Morsko dobro to put aside political animosity.

The Coastal District then spoke out and welcomed the Local Community's initiative, stating that they had done everything they could, but that they could not carry out the repair work due to the selective blockade of the Municipality of Budva, which only allows vehicles from that state company to serve the Port of Budva.

The Coastal Zone Authority stated that the Municipality of Budva has been preventing access to the contact zone since October 1st of last year.

"We would like to point out that resolving this, as well as other problems in the contact zone of Stari Grad, does not depend solely on JP Morsko dobro, but requires action by other competent institutions. The fact that the MZ Stari Grad is inviting our company is surprising, considering that its members, as well as the entire Budva and Montenegrin public, are aware of the reasons why the repair of the retaining wall has not taken place," Morsko dobro stated.

As they pointed out at the time, the Municipality of Budva has been preventing access for vehicles carrying out procurement and execution of works for the needs of the Public Company Morsko dobro in the area of ​​the beaches of Pizana, Brijeg od Budve and the Port of Budva for a long time.

"We would like to remind you that the contract for the rehabilitation of Pizana beach, with the associated retaining wall and supporting structures, worth 62.135,92 euros, was signed with the company NIKOS COP doo, and that the implementation of the works was planned after October 1, 2025. If the conditions for the implementation of the works had been created, the rehabilitation would have been completed by today. JP Morsko dobro timely submitted a request to the competent secretariat of the Municipality of Budva for approval of the passage of construction machinery and the delivery of materials, but no response was ever received, which directly prevented the implementation of the contracted works. The same situation continues today. As an illustration of the difficult functioning, we point out that a few days ago, for the needs of the Port of Budva, JP Morsko dobro was forced to re-hire a ferry to deliver materials, which was also visible to the public," they emphasize in Morsko dobro.

The Maritime Department has repeatedly called on the competent state institutions to provide them with land access to the Port of Budva, but all instances have remained silent.