The departure of the Italian company "Benneton" from Niš brings uncertainty not only for the workers, but also for the future use of the land. Experts point out that the current urban plans do not foresee residential construction, and the presence of archaeological sites further complicates potential investments.
The announcement by the "Benneton" company that it will close its plant in Nis from April, in addition to the question about the workers who will lose their jobs, also raised the question of what will happen to the land and buildings where the factory is located, the portal "Južne vesti" reminds.
The plot of land with an area of about eight hectares is owned by the company "Olimpias", and according to the existing plans, its purpose is for business and commerce, which means that residential complexes cannot be built there, at least until the entire set of urban plans is changed and permits are obtained from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments, since it is an area of archaeological sites.
When "Benneton" bought the "Niteks" factory in 2011 for three million euros, it also bought the land and all the buildings. Namely, as the experts explain, all the companies that used to be the beneficiaries of the land that used to be state-owned managed to transfer that land to their own name at the time of privatization, and then that land became private. So when "Niteks" was sold, the land went with it.
What will "Benneton" do with the land and buildings, is the question that the journalists of "South News" sent by email, but they did not receive an answer. The same question was asked by the mayor of Niš, Dragoslav Pavlović, to the owners of the company.
"We looked for several things from Benetton. One of them is a status change. What is it that they think should happen in that location. In accordance with what we receive, we will decide whether we will approve or not. At the moment, the planning document defines the business at that location, there are production facilities, and without a planning document, they cannot do anything, nor can anyone else," said Pavlović.
Problematic industry due to archaeological sites
According to Miroljub Stanković, urban planner and former director of the Institute for Urban Planning, the fact that the land where "Benneton" is located is classified as urban construction land, does not mean that anything can be built there. He notes that everything depends on what is defined by the plans.
He points out that the area where the "Benneton" factory is located is included in the General Regulation Plan of the City Municipality of Pantelei - the first phase from 2012.
"That zone is defined as a business and trade complex. There is no mention of industry, because in the long term it has been interpreted that no new industry is desirable in the area, especially since there is a valuable archaeological site in the area. This also means that any decision-making is preceded by an archaeological survey, then consent, then a building permit," explains Stanković.
He notes that according to the current plans, it is impossible to build residential buildings in that area, but that all this can be changed, if the General Urban Plan is changed, and then the General Plan and the Detailed Regulation Plan.
"At the moment, housing is impossible and it is impossible to give a permit until the whole system of plans is changed," Stanković points out.
Eight-hectare complex
Given that it is a complex of eight hectares, there is no adequate comparison with any other plots in Niš. Until now, land with such an area has never appeared on the market for sale in similar locations. Not even outside of Niš.
One real estate agency states that the price of an acre on the outskirts is about 25.000 euros, and that in the best case, it could be up to 40.000 euros at the "Benetona" complex, if they get all the necessary permits due to the potential archaeological site. In the event that the price of an acre would cost 40.000, the price of the entire complex would amount to 32.413.600 euros.
With a price of 30.000 per are, the total value would be 24.310.200 euros.
By the way, when "Benneton" bought "Nitex" in 2011, there were rumors that residential complexes would be built on that area, which the director of this Italian company denied at the time. Whether they will sell the land or not, there is no answer from the company for now.
A large number of tombs from the 3rd, 4th and 5th centuries AD were found on the premises of the former textile factory "Niteks".
Source: Southern News
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