Construction minister: I'm not worried about protests, the bills are excellent

Physical Planning and Construction Minister Branko Bačić told the parliamentary opposition on Friday that he was not concerned about possible protests, urging them to read the physical planning and construction bills carefully, insisting they were excellent.

He said the legislative package would go before the plenary on Wednesday, 10 December, and that he was not considering a third reading or withdrawing the bills. He believes the proposed solutions protect and regulate space and will be adopted and enter into force on 1 January next year.

He also commented on potential protests announced by the opposition.

Bačić said he was not worried about protests because the bills were in citizens' interests, would speed up the issuing of building permits and better protect Croatia's most valuable resource - space.

Commenting on the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts' statement, he said academic Nikola Bašić had a legitimate right to express his view and that he had been contacted several times when drawing the bill. Two of his suggestions were included.

“I respect his opinions and positions. I believe he truly contributed to architecture and urbanism quality in Croatia, but today we are required to take into account that by protecting space we are making it the foundation of economic development of Croatia,” the Minister said.

He also commented on the criticism from the Croatian Chamber of Architects, stating that they have accepted their principles almost entirely. The only thing they disagree on are implementing plans.

Projects of national importance would be resolved via building permits based on the national spatial development plan, county-level projects based on county plans and all others based on local spatial plans, he said.

“Projects of national importance are handled through building permits that will be based on the national spatial development plan, projects of county significance based on county spatial plans and building permits issued on its basis, and all other projects in Croatia will be based on spatial plans of local self-government units,” Bačić said.

Regarding criticism from the opposition that three years is not enough to develop urban development plans and that this opens the door to private investors to build by reaching out directly to the Ministry, as well as that the state itself was not capable of adopting spatial plans in 10 years, Bačić said that this is like comparing “a space shuttle and a motor cultivator”.

“It takes 18 months to adopt an urban development plan, but that too is blasphemy,” the Minister claims.

There is no urban consolidation without local self-government units

He also commented on urban consolidation, which also stirred up major criticism among opposition. He said that there is no urban consolidation without local self-government units.

“No private investor could initiate urban consolidation unless it is foreseen by an urban development plan adopted by local self-government units. If the plan is not precise, then an urban project is drawn up, which will precisely outline the building plots and, based on that, using mathematics and geometry, the area you had and that is now entering the consolidation will be measured. The opposition spreads disinformation and objects to the 51% of owners who want consolidation, they are entitled to request it, but they are not the ones who will decide on the consolidation; this will be determined by the local self-government unit together with the state,” Bačić pointed out.

Bačić explained that an urban project could apply only to affordable housing, public facilities and urban consolidation, not private development. The aim was to shorten procedures by combining three processes: the environmental study assessment process, the process of developing the urban development plan and the process of issuing the location permit.

He also commented on the Affordable Housing Act, which is currently in public consultation, saying that affordable housing is not possible without a public investor. The plan is to build 10,500 apartments by 2030. If we don't adopt these bills, there will be no affordable housing, Minister Bačić said.

Source: HINA

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