The statement made by Ms. Dragana Čenić, General Director at the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, in reaction to today’s allegations of the NGO MANS about the Draft Spatial Plan for the Coastal Zone, in the context of the protection of the

Dragana Čenić: The Special Purpose Spatial Plan for the Coastal Zone is a planning document and ownership rights are not within the scope of its competence

Following today’s allegations made by the NGO MANS in relation to the Draft Special Purpose Spatial Plan for the Coastal Zone in the context of the protection of the Saltworks locality, and taking in consideration similar allegations having lately appeared in the public, Dragana Čenić, Director of the Directorate for Spatial Planning at the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, issues the following statement:

Although we are very grateful for all constructive suggestions and comments that have been made in relation to this important planning document, we cannot but notice that a number of more or less similar allegations on this issue had appear in the public, to which we believe having already answered in a well-argued manner.

The court decision related to the proclamation as unconstitutional the Decision on Amendments and Supplements to the 2020 Spatial Plan of Montenegro, in the part related to the protection of the Saltworks, does not have any bearing on the process of its protection in lower-level planning documents. This is exactly why the Draft Plan for the Coastal Zone clearly defines this locality as a protected area, as it can be easily checked by anyone who tries to obtain more detailed information about this document.

We repeat that the Saltworks locality, which covers the area of 1492 ha, includes a building area of around 6ha dedicated to the organization of complementary tourism facilities, such as flora and fauna watching and an eco resort. We underline that the building area dedicated to industrial purposes had always existed here, as it is confirmed by local planning documentation, which means that the Draft Spatial Plan for the Coastal Zone does not foresee any increase of the building area surface. The backup development zone in the coverage area of 70 ha also includes, beside the above mentioned surface area of 6 ha, areas in the hinterland, outside the Saltworks borders (annex 1).

Furthermore, this planning document was not drafted randomly according to someone’s incidental wishes, but on the basis of clearly defined procedures and rules: first, there was a decision to draft the document and then it was adopted by the Government. The companies that worked on its development were selected through a regular and transparent tender procedure to which not a single objection was made. After the Draft was made and once again reviewed by the Government, it was made public, for review purposes. The whole team of developers, architects and other experts will analyze each and every submitted comment in order to obtain the best possible solution.

If the Ministry has repeatedly and very decisively stated that this locality was not meant for any construction, as it has been rumored in the public, reiterating its clear commitment before the domestic and international public to the protection and sustainable development of the Saltworks, we truly believe that sending messages such as those that provoked out reaction today is counterproductive and confusing.

As far as the allegations about the Saltworks being designated as a private property in the Plan are concerned, we underline that the ownership structure does not fall under the competence of the planning document, so that, even if the plan developer provided imprecise data, it is clear they cannot have any bearing to real ownership rights. If something has been inadequately formulated in the Plan, this is what public debates exist for – to correct and eliminate any possible imprecision.

We also consider continuous insinuations about the alleged implications between the Constitutional Court’s decision, the Privatization Council’s stance on this issue and the activities of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism in relation to the Saltworks as very incorrect. These issues are absolutely not within our area of competence. We sincerely hope that throwing darts at the Ministry by insinuating some conspiracy of all state institutions, the aim of which would be an alleged degradation of the Saltworks, will not overshadow the truth.

And the truth is that the Ministry of Sustainable Development is committed to protect the Saltworks and that it will work on this issue as it deems right and for as long as necessary, avoiding hasty decisions on such an important matter just because it was exposed to the wave of public accusations. Namely, considering that the Saltworks system cannot survive on its own, i.e. it is maintained by human support, the entire procedure of proclamation of the locality as protected area requires additional analyses from the aspect of management of the area, including management resources, and these analyses are under way. This is the only way to avoid the process of protection to be burdened by possible indemnity claims (as it was the case of the Tivat Salina) and it is why the procedure of protection of this locality has been lasting so long.

I hereby invite the NGO MANS and any other interested party to submit, by the end of the public debate, concrete suggestions to the Draft Special Purpose Spatial Plan for the Coastal Zone, both in the part related to the Saltworks and in general. They will be analyzed with due attention and with one objective only: to have as a result a document that will do proud not only its developers but the entire country.

Annex: DIAGRAM OF BUILDING AREAS WITHIN THE DRAFT SPSPCAZ
Grey color on the graphic diagram indicates building areas dedicated to construction (building areas)