The old "Vir" hotel in Virpazar is no longer there, and a new, larger hotel is springing up in its place. And while the chief state architect Mirko Žižić claims that the conceptual solution for the reconstruction of the hotel is in accordance with the guidelines from the planning document, from the group of architects "Kana" they question the construction of the investor, the company "Tehno max".
This NGO warns of a series of irregularities: from the fact that the conservation project was not completed, to the violation of urban planning and technical conditions.
The Ministry of Spatial Planning and Urbanism reminds us that on February 4,244rd, the Chief State Architect approved the conceptual architectural solution for the reconstruction of the existing building into a four-star hotel, with a gross construction area of 1,85 square meters, with a maximum built-up index of 0,37 and an occupancy index of XNUMX , floors - ground floor, three floors and an attic.
Chief State Architect Mirko Žižić emphasizes that the proposed conceptual solution was made in accordance with the guidelines from the planning document State Study of the "Virpazar" location.
"Since the urban-technical conditions and conservation conditions foresee different parameters regarding the number of floors, the Chief State Architect suggested that the conceptual design be corrected and "lowered" by one floor, which was done with the amended conceptual design. We believe that this had a positive effect in in relation to the ambient values of the entire settlement and that this kind of project and investment will add importance to Virpazar to an additional extent," said Žižić.
In the group of KANA architects, they have a completely different view, as they say, of a new and not a reconstructed building. Sonja Dragović says that the new building violates urban planning and technical conditions, and that is why it will be significantly larger.
In addition, the guidelines of the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property were violated in order to protect this area, which falls under the area of the cultural property of the city of Virpazar.
"The conservatory project is not part of this conceptual solution, but the conceptual solution only contains an explanation of what the designer thinks about what the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property has prescribed, it is actually a gross violation that should not be allowed," said Sonja Dragović from NGO Kana
She added that the urban technical conditions allow for 60, that 72 beds were designed in the hotel.
"The new building will be higher than the building on July 13, and apparently the area of the foundations was not respected either, because there were certain expansions that are easy to register by visiting the construction site," she pointed out.
In Kana, they also ask where the inspection was in the previous months and warn that the situation on the ground does not correspond to the project, which was approved by the authorities.
"The constructed state, which we can now see in Virpazar, differs from the approved one, in the way that the surface of the ground floor was additionally expanded and another useful floor was added. So we see on the ground that even what is shown in the project is not what corresponds to reality, and by visiting the field we can see that this will be a facility that is much larger than the existing one and will therefore damage the value of the ambient whole of Virpazar," said Dragović.
The leaders of TO Bar and the Skadar Lake National Park agree that the precious area of Skadar Lake and Crmnica must be protected.
"I am of the opinion that we should maximally protect the living space, the environment and the nature where we live, especially in the Skadar Lake National Park, and I think that all responsible people should think in this way," said the director of the Skadar Lake NP, Aleksandar Bulatović.
Nikoleta Nikčević from TO Bar believes that there is a lack of accommodation facilities in Virpazar and Crmnica villages, and that what is very important is that they fit into the ambient environment of the place itself.
Sonja Dragović states that the newly designed hotel facility invades the space visually, without respecting the environment, and all with the blessing of the competent Ministry and without a single objection from the inspections.
"Everyone hoped that the new Ministry would create a discontinuity with the bad practices of the previous Ministry, but we can see from this example that this is not the case," Dragović points out.
The Ministry says that "it should be taken into account that the old hotel was in a very bad condition and that there were no serious investors who were ready to invest money, and that it should not be ignored that this kind of project contributes to the economic development of the entire settlement and its surroundings."
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