The Public Company for Coastal Zone Management will take on the construction of the initial phase of the promenade extending from the Old Town to Cape Zavala. This marks a significant investment in the tourism hub, as the Municipality of Budva has not provided documentation concerning the top-ranked solution from the international competition, despite receiving three urgent requests from the state-owned company.

This information was relayed to “Vijesti” by the public company, noting that the third urgent request came from the director of JP Morsko dobro, Mladen Mikijelj, who sent it to Mayor Nikola Jovanović at the end of April, but it too went unanswered.

“Given that the International Competition for developing a conceptual urban and architectural solution for the promenade from Budva’s Old Town to Zavala was concluded two years ago and that the relevant promenade route is partly within the maritime zone, managed by the Public Company for the Management of the Maritime Zone of Montenegro, we formally requested complete competition documentation for our review on September 8, 2023 (including the three top-ranked submissions and two purchased works),” stated the third urgent letter sent on April 22, which “Vijesti” obtained, signed by Director Mikijelj.

Following that, the Coastal State Emergency Service emphasized that they had sent two urgent requests for competition materials: the first on November 10, 2023, and the second on September 30, 2024.

“We want to highlight that the Public Company for Coastal Zone Management allocated funds for the development of the main project for the Budva-Bečići promenade in both last year and this year. Since we have not yet received a response from you regarding this matter, we kindly request that you provide us with the necessary documentation as soon as possible,” emphasized the third urgent request.

According to “Vijesti,” JP Morsko dobro will execute the project, which is vital for Budva’s development, in conjunction with the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism, and State Property. The realization of this year’s tender for leasing parts of the managed zone is expected to bring 35 million euros into the public company’s budget.

“We do not want to delay any longer or let key projects stagnate; thus, Public Enterprise Morsko dobro will take responsibility and initiate the implementation. The Municipal Commission has not reached a decision regarding the best competition design for the conceptual vision of the promenade’s first phase—from the Old Town to Zavala—over the past year and a half. Morsko dobro has sought to engage with this phase of the project during this entire period, given that it is within a zone we manage. Our correspondence has gone unanswered for quite some time, implying that the Municipality is uninterested in this significant project. Therefore, in cooperation with the relevant ministry, the Public Enterprise will take charge of the entire project, focused on serving the interests of the citizens and the city of Budva,” said Morsko dobro to “Vijesti.”

The current Mayor of Budva, Nikola Jovanović, labeled the Public Company for Coastal Zone Management’s initiative to assume the Budva promenade construction as a “political skit,” criticizing the company for not responding to local administration requests for collaboration on this major project.

“This initiative is evidently politically charged and disconnected from reality. The Municipality of Budva has conducted an international competition for the conceptual design of the future promenade, ranking the top three entries and acquiring additional three, fully obtaining the copyrights. There was no interest from Coastal Zone to collaboratively plan the main project or work on the construction phase together. We made several attempts to include the promenade project in the Public Enterprise’s budget, but they showed no interest. It’s easy to verify their strategic documents and confirm that there are no funds allocated for the Municipality of Budva’s territory. With the number of beaches and the revenue they generate, it’s clear Budva deserves substantial investment. However, we’re experiencing the same disregard maintained by relevant state institutions, continuing the negative trend of zero investment,” the Mayor told “Vijesti.”

He pointed out the current state of the Port of Budva as evidence.

“The Municipality of Budva requested that this area be granted to us for management; currently, there are no basic conditions for vessel operations there—it poses significant safety risks and requires substantive attention from responsible institutions, which should close it for use due to its dilapidation,” Jovanović remarked.

Regarding the promenade, he emphasized that the Municipality of Budva will continue its work without awaiting the Public Enterprise “Morsko dobro.”

For context, the promenade construction in Budvanska Školjka is listed as a project in the Strategic City Development Plan up to 2028.

This area encompasses approximately 28 hectares, including not only the immediate Budvanska Školjka coastline but also extending to its hinterland adjacent to the transportation infrastructure.

The competition for the conceptual urban and architectural design of the promenade’s first phase concluded in October 2023. Following that, as reported by “Vijesti,” the municipality awarded prizes to all winning entries and sent contracts for signatures, thus becoming the owner of the conceptual designs.

In his campaign for the October 2022 local elections, Milo Božović advocated for building the promenade, gaining overwhelming support from the populace.

In his election program, “Development Program Budva 2026,” Božović identified the promenade alongside the hospital as the two most critical capital projects essential for Budva’s advancement.

“This is a dream we have cherished for a long time, one that most in Budva still doubt is achievable. It has the potential to fundamentally transform our city’s image and enhance its tourism capabilities,” stated Božović, revealing plans for an international competition to design the future promenade from “Avala” to Zavala.

Purchased Works, Awaiting Main Project Development

In mid-July 2023, the Municipality of Budva announced six winning entries from the Competition for the conceptual urban and architectural design of Phase I of the Budva-Bečići promenade.

Out of the 32 submissions received, the jury—comprising Vladan Stevović, the former Chief State Architect, Branislav Gregović, Vladan Đokić, Malina Čvoro, Luka Skansi, former Mayor Milo Božović, and Savo Pavlović—selected six entries to award.

The total prize fund amounted to 223,000 euros.

The first prize of 90,000 euros was awarded to the work of “Normotic FZE”—Zoran Dmitrović, Abramović Nikola, Baković Daniel, Nenad Blagojević, Marko Milutinović, Petar Uskoković, and Uroš Zaklanović. The second prize of 50,000 euros went to the team of Branislav Mitrović, Đorđe Alfirević, Dušan Međedović, Dušan Grujović, Uroš Majstorović, Ivana Lakić, Milica Knežević, and Milica Ćoćić. The municipality also announced the purchase for 35,000 euros of the work by authors Aleksandar Đorđević, Aleksandra Milovanović, Ana Zorić, Miloš Kostić, Mladen Pešić, Milorad Pejanović, and consultants Ivor Samuelss and Bogdan Đokić. In addition, the work of “MADMA urbanism+landscape bv” by Hiroki Matsuura was purchased for 16,000 euros, along with the submission from “Openact Mimarlik Tasarim Insaat ve Ticaret LDT STI.”

These works will serve as a foundation for developing the main project.

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