One stop shop and payment after permit issuance - What does new Law on planning and construction bring?

The Serbian Parliament has adopted the Proposal of the law on changes and amendments to the Law on planning and construction December 8. As the minister of construction and traffic, Zorana Mihajlovic, said, all bylaws for new law implementation will be adopted by February 15, 2015 and it will become effective as of March next year.

Although media mainly report on shorter time to get a construction permit from current 240 days to 28 days, Goran Rodic from the Construction-industrial Chamber of Serbia, in his interview for eKapija, said the law is bringing more news.

- So far, the main problem to get construction permit was administration and corruption in local self-governances and public companies. Shortened procedures are good but trained people who will implement regulations adequately are key factor. With this law, the Ministry of construction showed its readiness and courage to deal with these issues–Rodic says, adding that it is necessary that experts are present in municipalities and public companies, not the staff employed for their party orientation.

We asked whether new function, comprised within the law – urban planner, will contribute to the expert level increase in local self-governances.

Namely, the main urban planner will coordinate development of plan documents and coordinate authorities in charge for urbanism and public companies affairs, as well as other institutions participating in development and adoption of plan documents. He is the president of the commission for plants and is appointed by the assembly, i.e. city assembly, on a four-year period of time.

- The role of the main urban planner is very important in every local self-governance but administrative structures which should carry put his decisions are also important. Apart from that, to the same extent, the role of others such as architects, legal staff in property issues and experts from other fields is important – Rodic thinks.

One-stop shop

According to our collocutor, the main news is that the process of collection of documentation will be implemented in one procedure and at one place, from documents collection for the right to build to collection of documents for facility usage.

- An investor will no longer have to go from a shop to shop, wasting time. New law governs that all the procedures will be comprised at one-stop shop which means that local self-governances will collect all necessary permits–Rodic explains.

A collocutor of eKapija, also believes it is realistic to expect to fulfill the plan which governs issuance of electronic construction permits to start in the second half next year.

Debts collection after permit is issued

As the main news in the Law on planning and construction, Goran Rodic outlines the fact the investors will no longer pay construction permits as it used to be the case so far.

Land conversion

The law does not govern the issue of usage right conversion into property on construction land and our collocutor things the issue should be governed with other laws.

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For more information on the Law on planning and construction