Skopje, 9 August 2024 (MIA) - Around 600 urban plans are currently stuck in procedure, putting their adoption and the realization of capital investments in question. Amendments to the Law on Urban Planning are being proposed to overcome this situation, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said in a press release Friday.  

The amendments, according to the Ministry, “are in the interest of the citizens and municipalities, ensuring a more efficient realization of capital projects and moving forward the economy as a whole”.

“The basic goal of the amendments is to simplify the procedures related to the adoption of urban plans aimed at the construction of buildings in the public interest, i.e., the construction of kindergartens, schools, hospitals and other social and health protection buildings, as well as parking garages in order to solve the traffic chaos. The adoption of this law will simplify the procedure for the realization of capital projects in the country, while the municipalities will be able to fully realize the planned development budgets, directly influencing local economic development,” the Ministry said.

The Ministry said it is “impermissible” for the state and the municipalities to be unable to realize their development programs due to the lack of an adequate legal framework.

“In this context, we would like to highlight that around 600 urban plans are currently stuck in procedure, putting their adoption and the realization of capital investments in question. Additionally, we would like to note that there is a completely incorrect interpretation in the public of the provision that removes the possibility of adopting an urban plan without approval of the Ministry of Transport. The truth is the opposite. The rule of ‘silence as an approval’ is being scrapped, and any lack of order is subject to the strictest sanctions for the abuse of official position,” the Ministry said.

It said that due to several “verified examples” of lack of order in certain municipalities, the goal of the proposed amendments is also to strengthen the role of the Ministry as a control mechanism in the process.

“With the amendments it will be impossible to adopt a plan without the approval of the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry is also able to send each plan back for further work as long as it is necessary in each stage of the procedure,” the Ministry stressed. 

Photo: MIA Archive