Minister Bačić – SDP uses lies, deception and no arguments to scare citizens about the Physical Planning Act

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Branko Bačić said on Friday that all amendments made by the SDP parliamentary group to the legislative package on construction and physical planning are without merit, highlighting that SDP uses lies and deceptions to scare citizens.

Following today’s Government session, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Branko Bačić commented on the 250 amendments to the legislative package on construction and physical planning made by the SDP parliamentary group. He said the amendments have no merit and that SDP uses lies and deception to scare citizens.

In his statement following the Government’s session, Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Bačić pointed out that all 250 amendments made by SDP, which were reviewed and rejected in the Parliament by the Government’s representative State Secretary Dunja Magaš, are drafted in the same way - “copy paste”, from first to last.

There are no arguments or reason, he added.

Seizure attempts by SDP’s local government in Krapina-Zagorje County

“I have been part of Croatia’s parliamentary life for a long time, I have seen all kinds of amendments and attempts at obstruction, but this one has “demonstrated” SDP’s level of understanding of the issue. I can also conclude that SDP tries to use lies and deception to scare Croatian citizens, presenting this Act as “seizure of ancestral land.” If there is any attempt at land seizure, it is in Krapina-Zagorje County, where SDP’s local government issued a location permit, contrary to the law, for the construction of a private solar power plant on land owned by other private persons. Only when the City of Pregrada intervened did our Ministry determine illegalities of the location permit and request the reopening of the procedure. It seems like SDP acts according to the saying “cry thief,” Minister Bačić stated.

Croatian Chamber of Architects requests urban land consolidation to be reinstated in the law

He reminded everyone in the Parliament who obstructs urban land consolidation that it was included in the law until 2014, when SDP abolished it.

The Croatian Chamber of Architects has requested this urban instrument to be reinstated in the law, and the Ministry has accepted it, because it believes it to be an excellent urban instrument also recognised internationally, Bačić pointed out.

“So what’s the controversial part? The controversial part is the possibility that 51 percent plus one owner of land can propose consolidation, but the decision is not up to them,” he added.

“SDP claims they will expropriate the 49 percent. This is either a complete lack of understanding of the law and the urban land consolidation procedure or an intentional attempt at deceiving and scaring the public. In order to own 51 percent of something, you have to define what constitutes 100 percent, and that 100 percent is the scope of consolidation prescribed by the local self-government, and that same city or municipality must prescribe urban land consolidation and establish its scope in its spatial plan. And now citizens are scared by those who are the only ones able to determine the possibility of urban land consolidation,” Minister Bačić clarified.

Urban development plans

He also commented on the criticism that local self-government units are losing their authority to investors.

He reminded everyone that each local self-government unit adopts its own spatial plans. In the event of major cities, an urban development plan has to be adopted and these plans designate building land. Citizens then have legitimate expectations to build on that land but then have to wait for decades for urban development plans without which building is not possible, Bačić said.

“You haven’t adopted the document for 15-20 years so that I can use my plot for the purpose you prescribed - not me, not the state, but the very local self-government unit. So, I ask you to start the procedure on adopting this plan, the so-called urban development plan, for which we citizens will cover the preparation costs. We will develop a study to be able to build a road, prove our financial capacity and prove our legal interest. And you, please, do it in three years, since you haven’t managed to do it in twenty years, try to develop the document, and, as compensation for us financing everything, reduce the utility charges,” Bačić clarified the current situation on the ground.

He also added that a local self-government unit can revoke the designation of an area as a building area because it is within its jurisdiction.

He also estimates that three years are more than enough to develop an urban development plan.

“Our act will further accelerate the adoption of spatial plans. I said 18 months, which is already ample time, but we agreed to 36 months. If there are no urban development plans within this timeframe, citizens who wish to build submit the request to the Ministry,” he added.

Vjesnik skyscraper removal

Minister Bačić was also asked about the plans to demolish the Vjesnik skyscraper.

He stated that today and tomorrow they will finish up the procurement documentation at the Ministry and next week the public procurement procedure will be opened for the selection of the project designer and the contractor for the demolition of the skyscraper.

“By using this model, we will request the bidder to design the removal project and deliver information about the removal costs at the same time,” the Minister said.

He added that the selection procedure will take around three weeks, which is the time needed for bidders to get familiarised with the building and to obtain expert data on the condition of the structure, the removal method, project design, traffic protection, citizen safety, as well as the safety of their own workers and staff.

If there are no appeals, we could proceed with the skyscraper removal rather quickly, Bačić concluded.

Source: HINA

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