Foundation stone for another POS building laid in Omišalj – new apartments for 12 families

Today in Njivice another foundation stone for the construction of a multiapartment building comprising 12 housing units, worth 2.4 million euro, was laid. Along with Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Branko Bačić, the ceremony was attended by State Secretary Željko Uhlir, Director of APN Dragan Hristov, Omišalj Municipality Prefect Mirela Ahmetović, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Prefect Ivica Lukanović and their associates.

Minister Bačić, Director of APN Dragan Hristov and Omišalj Municipality Prefect Mirela Ahmetović signed a Charter on the foundation stone and the construction of a multiapartment building worth 2.4 million euro. Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Prefect Ivica Lukanović also joined the ceremony, while Reverend Monsignor Josip Vidas blessed the future building and residents.

“I am happy to be here at the laying of the foundation stone for the future multiapartment building comprising 12 apartments to meet the needs of young families. It took a lot of time, engagement and arrangements regarding the project and the location, but what is important is that the this is all done and today we can initiate the works,” Minister Bačić said.

The building will include the ground floor and three upper floors, and it will comprise 12 housing units and 22 parking spaces. The total net usable surface area will be 780.5 square metres, and the apartments will be two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, Director of APN Hristov explained.

“This investment is worth 2.4 million euro, VAT included. APN conducted the public procurement procedure and secured subsidies amounting to 600,000 euro, while Omišalj Municipality provided land, infrastructure with connections and co-financing of the project through grants,” the Director added.

The Municipal Council of Omišalj Municipality adopted the decision to co-finance the construction of said building to the amount of 807,496.29 euro, VAT included, which resulted in the sale price of the apartments of 2,104 euro per square metre. The contracted construction period is 365 days from the kick-off meeting, and the Municipality determined the final priority list.

“I would like to thank the candidates for future apartments for their patience and trust throughout this lengthy but transparent process. This location is the most valuable location owned by Omišalj Municipality, and we have decided to use it for affordable housing. This once again confirms that our priority are our people, namely those who intend to stay, work and raise their families here,” Municipality Prefect Ahmetović said.

The contractor is the construction company KRK d.d., while expert supervision, consulting and coordination will be conducted by the trading company Kling d.o.o. The Municipality Prefect said she expects the works will be performed with high quality and in accordance with the highest standards.

Construction of POS apartments accelerated, Affordable Housing Act submitted to the Government

Minister Bačić recalled that the Act on Amendments on the Act on State-Subsidised Housing Construction, adopted last year, allows the construction of POS buildings even when the contractor’s prices exceed the planned reference construction price.

“This is why it is extremely important and commendable that Omišalj Municipality has secured additional resources to achieve affordable price per square metre for future residents of this building,” the Minister said.

The amendments to the Act resulted in accelerating the construction of POS apartments. Through the POS programme alone, APN currently builds 318 apartments - 206 in Osijek, 50 in Karlovac, 35 in Trogir, 17 in Novalja and 10 in Kumrovec, while additional 515 apartments across Croatia are in different preparatory stages. The construction of a building in Kostrena will start soon, and public procurement is underway for approximately 200 apartments in Pula, Vrlika, Vrsar, Buje, Ivanić Grad, Virovitica and Našice.

County Prefect Lukanović highlighted the importance of resolving the housing situation when real estate prices are extremely high.

“A roof over one’s head is one of the fundamental human needs, and the matter of housing care is ongoing over the past few years in Croatia. The County will monitor the entire process to implement it as soon as possible,” the County Prefect said. He added that the County’s role in this process was limited to issuing building permits, but that it constituted an important segment of the project.

Minister Bačić also commented on the County’s role, pointing out that the new Affordable Housing Act, which will replace the existing model of state-subsidised housing construction, will enable greater involvement of local and regional self-government units, in cooperation with the state, when implementing affordable housing projects.

The Affordable Housing Act will be an umbrella document that will further enhance affordable housing, simplify the procedures and accelerate the issuance of permits. It has been submitted to the Government to enter the adoption procedure, and it has been developed as part of the National Housing Policy Plan of the Republic of Croatia - the first medium-term strategic document on housing in Croatia.

“Based on the National Plan, we already implement measures such as a 50% VAT refund for the purchase of first residential real estate. This week also marks the end of the application deadline for the affordable rental programme for citizens who want to offer their vacant apartments to APN’s management, so APN could rent them at affordable prices to citizens who cannot access affordable housing,” the Minister recalled.

Increasing the housing stock in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County

By now APN has built 9,126 POS apartments across Croatia - 646 of them in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (Baška 13, Cres 74, Delnice 30, Kraljevica 20, Krk 46, Lovran 46, Mali Lošinj 20, Veli Lošinj 18, Novi Vinodolski 8, Omišalj 12, Opatija 74, Punat 22, Rab 29, Rijeka 207 and Vrbnik 27 apartments).

Furthermore, in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, agreements have been concluded with two local self-government units through the programme for assisted areas. In Mrkopalj Municipality, the construction of a multiapartment building with eight apartments is planned, worth approximately 1 million euro, and in Vrbovsko, the construction of a building with six apartments is planned, worth approximately 750,000 euro. Under this programme, 79 projects have been selected across Croatia that entail the construction of 50 multiapartment buildings and 11 settlements with family houses.

In addition, in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the subsidisation of housing loans has been approved for 1,861 families, totalling 17.34 million euro. Through the new subsidy programme for the purchase or the construction of first residential real estate, 210 subsidies totalling 1.12 million euro have been approved, with most requests approved in Rijeka.

“Home is one of the fundamental human needs, the foundation of family life and, together with work, the most important backbone of every family,” Minister Bačić concluded.

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