Public review of the planning document has begun demolition of the entire Belgrade Fair with the exception of Hall 1, which is called - Draft of changes and additions to the spatial plan of the area of special purpose for the development of the part of the waterfront of the city of Belgrade - the area along the Sava river for the project "Belgrade on Water".
Public inspection lasts from May 21 to June 19, and citizens can express their opinion on the proposed plan through the office of the Agency for Spatial Planning and Urbanism of the Republic of Serbia, or by e-mail. The public session where comments and proposals will be analyzed will be held on June 30.
"If this plan is adopted, Belgrade on the water will extend from Terazije Terrace to Ada Ciganlija and to New Belgrade. This will completely usurp the banks of the Sava River, and our extremely important cultural asset, the Belgrade Fair, will be destroyed, which we must not allow. Because proud investors cannot build a nicer, better and older Fair," warned the association "Naša mesna zajednica" already on the first day of the public inspection.
Demolition of the Fair
They state that this spatial plan "planned the demolition of the entire Belgrade Fair, except for Hall 1, which is threatened due to the construction of towers up to 120m high and an underground garage, in an area with a high level of underground water and a low bearing capacity of the soil."
For almost the entire complex of the Belgrade Fair, the intended use is for housing and the construction of towers from 75m to 120m.
The association claims that "the terrain on which the Belgrade Fair is located cannot accommodate the load of such tall buildings due to the groundwater, which here is at a depth of only 1 m. During the construction of new buildings, this can lead to a sudden subsidence of the ground and thus endanger the stability of existing buildings."
"The demolition of Hall 2 and Hall 3 is planned, which is absolutely unacceptable because they have the same construction and architectural value as Hall 1, and their demolition would be a desecration of our cultural heritage."
They remind us that "at the time they were built, the span of the dome of Hall 1 and the spherical shells that covered Hall 2 and Hall 3 exceeded all examples of these types of structures known in the world until then. Now our cultural property of exceptional importance and a top achievement in the field of construction is threatened with destruction due to the expansion of Belgrade on the water".
And the Hall, which is "planned to be repurposed into a multi-functional facility with a wide range of content from the cultural domain, whatever that means, even if it is not demolished, will not be seen - due to the construction of 120m towers, the effect will be the same as if it had been demolished, because the towers will obscure it."
Tunnel through a landslide
They then state that the construction of apartments is planned on the plots next to the Stara Šečerana complex, where the NIS warehouses were located, and which were bought by the company Beograd na Voda. The old sugar factory is a cultural monument and therefore any construction in its immediate vicinity is not allowed.
According to the mentioned plan, the construction of a tunnel from Karađorđeva to Despot Stefana Boulevard is foreseen.
"That tunnel goes under the Terazij ridge in the area where two of the five landslides along Gavrila Princip Street are located. The construction of an underground tunnel in the center of Belgrade can threaten existing facilities. The construction of the tunnel is unjustified because it will not have any positive effect on traffic relief or pollution reduction until the Belgrade Metro is built," the association said.
The construction of "two marinas, one of which is in the Čukarica creek in the protected area of the landscape of exceptional features of Ada Ciganlija, is also planned, which is why the scope of the plan has been additionally expanded compared to the early public inspection", they point out. "The protected wintering habitat of the little vranca in Block 18A in New Belgrade is also threatened, because the construction of residential and commercial buildings is planned on part of one of the protected plots."
They also warn that with this plan, "Belgrade on the water will expand to Terazije, because the construction of residential and commercial buildings on the Terazije terrace is planned."
Space on two administrative units
The plan covers an area of 344,68 hectares and extends over two geographical and administrative entities, which are separated by the Sava River.
On the right bank, the covered area is located between Branko Bridge, Karađorđeva Street, Savski Square, Savska Street, Vojvode Mišić Boulevard and the area up to Šećerana, within the boundaries of the municipalities of Savski venac and Čukarica. On the Novobegrad riverside, the plan refers to the area between the Ada Bridge, Vladimira Popović Street, Mihajlo Pupin Boulevard, the Stari Sava bridge and the extension of Zoran Đinđić Boulevard to Milentija Popović Street, writes eKapija.
Culture
The document states that the conversion of several buildings and spatial entities is planned. This applies, among other things, to the Railway Station building, the Milan Vapa paper factory and Hall 1 of the Belgrade Fair, as well as to the cultural and artistic district of Savamala. In addition, the construction of new cultural facilities is planned - the Cultural Center of the Belgrade Cooperative, KC Grad and the Creative Center, as well as the adaptation of the buildings of the former post office on Savski Square, the log cabin and the train turning point.
The plan also includes the urban complex of the Belgrade Fair. As stated in the document, with the planned relocation of the Fair to the area of the National Football Stadium, the transformation of that area is foreseen. Hall 1, which has the status of a cultural monument, will receive a new function as a cultural object. The whole is planned as a new urban center with facilities for housing, public services, green areas and a traffic network.
Two marinas
And the Jugopetrol complex will, as stated, be subjected to reconstruction with the mandatory drafting of an urban-architectural competition. It is planned to preserve and rehabilitate buildings of ambient importance - chimneys and two observation towers, with possible adaptation for new purposes, but without upgrading.
The document also provides for two new marinas - one in the Čukarica inlet, and the other downstream from the Bridge on Ada. The planned marina on Ada Ciganlija includes an aquatic area for the reception and accommodation of vessels with an area of about 86.750 m², as well as coastal facilities with an area of 48.400 m². The second marina will have a similar structure - space for vessels and coastal infrastructure.
