Belgrade movement demands withdrawal of urban plan, citing green space destruction

The Kreni-Promeni movement is demanding that a proposed detailed regulation plan for the Bajdina area in Mirijevo be removed from the Belgrade City Assembly's agenda. The assembly is scheduled to meet on Thursday, June 25.

The movement argues that the plan facilitates the destruction of over 50 hectares of natural green space and that the necessary procedures were not followed after previous plan amendments. "While official strategic documents warn that Belgrade has a critically low percentage of green space and that increasing it is necessary to protect against climate change and increasingly frequent heatwaves, the city authorities continue with the practice of investor urbanization and the conversion of natural land into concrete," Kreni-Promeni stated.

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While official strategic documents warn that Belgrade has a critically low percentage of green space and that increasing it is necessary to protect against climate change and increasingly frequent heatwaves, the city authorities continue with the practice of investor urbanization and the conversion of natural land into concrete.

According to the movement, the plan designates 53 hectares of natural green space and nearly five hectares of agricultural land for complete repurposing, reducing them to zero. Simultaneously, areas for housing would increase from 1.79 to 16.61 hectares, with an additional 20.23 hectares allocated for mixed urban centers, new construction, and commercial facilities.

Kreni-Promeni also expressed concern about the plan's return to the assembly, noting it was previously withdrawn. They assert that a new public review procedure was never conducted, denying citizens the right to comment on changes made after the initial public insight. The movement suggests Belgrade should purchase the land at market rates to satisfy private interests while preserving Bajdina as a public green space.

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Dosadašnjih 53 hektara prirodno regulisanih zelenih površina, kao i gotovo pet hektara poljoprivrednog zemljišta, biće svedeni na nulu. Istovremeno, površine namenjene stanovanju povećavaju se sa 1,79 na 16,61 hektar, dok će dodatnih 20,23 hektara biti namenjeno mešovitim gradskim centrima, odnosno novoj gradnji i komercijalnim sadržajima.