The City of Banja Luka is abandoning the construction of a boiler room within the Ramići Business Zone, to provide more space for new investors. The head of the city’s Department of Physical Planning, Slobodan Stanarević, told Srna that there were many requests from investors to buy plots in the Ramići Business Zone. He explained that there was a stream in the area where the boiler house was planned to be built, and that surface could be used for the construction of production facilities. Stanarević said the green area along the creek would be retained and the rest of the land divided into lots that the city would offer for sale. He said there is no need for a boiler room because the current users of the Ramići Business Zone have individual heating. The novelty will be implemented through a draft amendment to a portion of the Ramići Business Zone Regulation Plan, a document that will be considered by city council members on February 12. There are currently 15 investors active in the Ramići Business Zone, which are in various stages, both in the construction of their commercial facilities and at the beginning of production processes. Investors invested 4,7 million KM inland, 7,8 million KM in construction of buildings, and 1,2 million KM in equipment purchase. Source: SRNA Banja Luka: A system for electronic licensing in construction has been introduced In the Administrative Center of the Government of the Republic of Srpska, representatives of line ministries and mayors of Banja Luka and Gradiška were presented with adapted software and announced the beginning of the test phase of the Integrated System for Licensing in Construction in the Republic of Srpska. Through the LIFE Project, custom software has been installed in the line ministry and construction departments of the cities of Banja Luka and Gradiška, and training of employees has been carried out, thus creating all the prerequisites for verifying the effectiveness of the software solution in real conditions. The establishment of the Integrated System is part of the joint efforts of the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska, the competent authorities and cities of Banja Luka and Gradiška, which are implemented with the technical assistance of the Business Enhancement and Investment Attraction Project at the Local Level (LIFE). The project is being implemented by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and funded by the UK Government through UK-aid. The cities of Banja Luka and Gradiška are the local communities that will be the first to join the Integrated System since they have previously implemented regulatory reforms and established a one-way business within the LIFE Project and are ready to support the implementation of project tasks. “If we continue with the activities as planned, we will receive the first applications for building permits electronically in April this year in Banja Luka and Gradiška. With this, we will fully implement the complex reform and regulate the construction process in Republika Srpska in a way that is similar to the 21st century. However, I must emphasize that full implementation throughout the Republic of Srpska will depend solely on the willingness of local communities to carry out reforms and create the necessary preconditions for joining the Integrated System, “said relevant minister Srebrenka Golić. “Local communities that implemented the LIFE Project recommendations made savings of KM 5,9 million a year for their businesses and citizens, by reducing fees and fees, and by reducing the processing time for applications. On the other hand, in the 3,5 years that the LIFE Project is implemented, it is in these areas that KM 57 million of new investments and 329 new jobs have been confirmed, and the total revenues of these municipalities and cities, regardless of the reduction of fees and compensation, however, were on the rise. With the introduction of this Integrated System, the permitting process will be further streamlined and will certainly increase the attractiveness of Banja Luka and Gradiška for investment. We hope that other municipalities and cities will soon follow suit, ”said a representative from the British Embassy. Source: Government of RS
Banja Luka: More space for investors in the business zone
