Little BIG glossary of urban planning
/ guide
The 4 phases of preparation of the plan
Phase 2: The concept of an urban plan – early public insight (RJU)
In the course of the whole procedure of preparation of the plan, the regulations specify two opportunities for citizens’ participation.
Early public insight (RJU) is a new way of participation introduced by the amendments and additions to the Law on Planning and Construction made in 2014, with a view to including the public in the initial, conceptual phases of the preparation of plans, so as to reduce the possibilities of conflicts in the later, more elaborated phases.
The early public insight should present the concept of the plan which in development, including:
- the general aims and purposes of the plan,
- proposals for the spatial development of the covered area,
- the estimated effects of the plan.
Accordingly, the Study for public insight does not include all the requirements from the responsible public sector institutions, such as the public utility companies, institutes, secretariats etc. They are collected during the early public insight, and along with the other phases of insight (citizens’ objections), they provide valuable information owing to which the plan is further formulated and developed.
It happens in practice that the Study for early public insight is fairly more detailed and, in terms of its structure, closer to a finished draft plan than to a presentation of the concept – which the public should be able to take part in.
Early public insight lasts for a minimum of 15 days.
The Study for early public insight is displayed at the seat of the unit of local government (for example, basement floor of the Secretariat of Urban Planning and Construction in Belgrade) and on the web site of the institution responsible for preparation of the planning documents (www.beograd.rs, www.beoland.com).
At the early public insight, presence of an expert who assists the interested parties in grasping the plan on display during fixed and previously announced time slots, is mandatory.
The citizens are invited to give their comments (in the form of written objections submitted in the record office of the local government which organizes the public insight), during the early public insight – in Belgrade, submissions by post are also allowed (addressed to the Secretariat of Urban Planning and Construction) until the last day of the public insight.
Citizens’ objection submitted at the early public insight are not answered individually.
Handler of the plan (for example, the Urban Planning Institute of Belgrade) is required to provide a general response to all the submitted objections. Based on this, the received conditions from the responsible institutions, possible guidelines of the Planning Commission and information on the completed early public insight, the Planning Commission drafts the Report on the early public insight.
The report becomes a part of the documentation basis of the planning document, which is in practice most often displayed during the public insight.
