Belgrade Waterfront company to open contest for future public purpose of halls 2 and 3 of Belgrade Fair and finance reconstruction

The Belgrade Waterfront company “welcomed” the announced decision of the Agency for Spatial and Urban Planning to preserve halls 2 and 3 of the Belgrade Fair because, as it stated, it reflects the harmony between the need for further urban development and the preservation of significant cultural and historical entities and will finance the reconstruction.

As they told Forbes Serbia, the company will open a contest that will determine the future purpose of the halls.

– After the Government of Serbia adopts amendments to the Spatial Plan of the Special Purpose Area for the Development of the Part of the City of Belgrade’s Coast - the Sava River Coastal Area for the Belgrade Waterfront Project, together with the competent institutions, we will open a public international architectural contest that will envisage the public purpose of the halls that are being preserved – the company stated.

They added that, upon the completion of the contest and the selection of the best solutions, there would be a clear overview of the funds needed for the reconstruction and repurposing of these halls.

They pointed out that the Belgrade Waterfront company would finance the works in accordance with the contract signed with the state in “the same way as it does with other public facilities in the area of the plan - the Belgrade Cooperative, the coastal fortifications, the Post Office in Savska Street, the old Rail Bridge that will be transformed into a pedestrian bridge.”

As Forbes writes, no one wants to publicly assess how much everything could cost because they do not have a precise insight into the condition of the halls.

A source of this media outlet, familiar with the Belgrade Waterfront project, said that “any repurposing of these facilities for some other purpose cannot be done without 100 million.”

Considering that, in the past four years, Belgrade Waterfront has recorded a profit of almost EUR 200 million, and that it has also commenced the reconstruction of other public facilities, financing this renovation will probably not pose a challenge for them, Forbes writes.

The builders pointed out that the reconstruction of facilities was usually more expensive than the construction of new ones, but “that is the price that society pays for them to remain where they are.”

While the construction of new capital buildings was underway, it was forgotten, as they stated, that the existing ones must be maintained, so the state will have to turn to the reconstruction of numerous facilities, which will require significant budget allocations or borrowing.

But, as they pointed out, the issue of responsibility for the maintenance of facilities in public use must be resolved, not only because of the financial expenditure, but also for safety reasons.

Beograd na vodi d.o.o. Beograd

Agencija za prostorno planiranje i urbanizam Republike Srbije

Beogradski sajam doo Beograd

Belgrade Waterfront

Agency for Spatial and Urban Planning

Belgrade Fair

halls 2 and 3

contest for purpose of fair halls

Spatial Plan of the Special Purpose Area for the Development of the Part of the City of Belgrade s Coast the Sava River Coastal Area for the Belgrade Waterfront Project