The city of Šibenik and the company Batižele d.o.o. are participating today at the Adriatic Expo investment fair in Opatija, where the Batižele project was presented to interested investors. At the leading fair in Croatia, dedicated to investments and real estate, the project was presented by Nina Kursar, director of Batižele d.o.o., and Mayor Željko Burić participated in a panel discussion entitled "How Cities and Mayors See the Development of Urbanism, Tourism Plans and New Projects".
"Šibenik has been cited in recent years as an example of a city that has achieved a significant step forward in development. First of all, we invest in the development of the economy, which is our basis, and we have revitalized the cultural heritage, which is our identity. We breathed life into it and created the conditions for the development of tourism, and in addition, we also strongly advocate for the development of higher education in Šibenik. The million-dollar projects that we have realized, such as the Poljana town square, the Šibenik Agglomeration, and the Triangle Center, which have made the image of our city significantly different, are only an introduction to what needs to happen in the area of the former Electrode and Ferroalloy Factory. Namely, in this area, a new city quarter will spring up on 22 hectares of land by the sea, near the historic core of Šibenik. Housing, business, public and tourist facilities will be built. The preparation of the documentation for the development project is being financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and an international tender for investors in the new Šibenik district will soon follow," said Mayor Burić.
Nina Kursar, director of Batižele, said that the process of selecting investors is planned in two steps.
"After announcing the tender, which will be previously presented to the City Council of the City of Šibenik, in the first round, interested investors are invited to submit their expressions of interest and confirm their qualifications. The selected bidders will have the opportunity in the second round to submit their bids according to clearly established evaluation criteria, which must include, among other details, an outline development plan for the location. The selection of bidders in both steps will be based on the criteria that are common in the international practice of selecting investors. It is important for us to choose a bidder whose project foresees the most benefits for the city and its inhabitants, while at the same time being sustainable, reliable, verified and financially stable. Since the project intends to provide a part of the public contents, those proposals with a higher level of public value will receive additional points during the selection of investors", said Kursar.
After the end of the competition, the selected investor and the company Batižele d.o.o. will sign the Partnership Agreement, which will be followed by the drafting of a proposal for the Urban Plan for the development of the area.
"We expect from the investor the standards of construction and design of public space in accordance with the Croatian legislation and to achieve the standards of green and sustainable construction, which are very important today," concluded Kursar.
The Batižele project, i.e. the urban regeneration of the area, is extremely valuable for the future of Šibenik through several segments - new investments will open up new perspectives and employment, and citizens will receive new contents of public interest.
"Improving the quality of life in Šibenik and the surrounding area is the goal we have been striving for since taking office. We have been working on the Batižele project for a number of years, which is common in European and world practice for projects like this one. First, it was necessary to legally regulate the status of the previous legal entity, and then the new society as we know it today. Considering that this is an area that was previously used for industrial purposes, i.e. the production of electrodes and ferroalloys, in a period of 10-15 years, a series of actions related to checking and analyzing the condition of the land, as well as the sea and marine sediment, was undertaken in order to obtain high-quality information, all with the aim of reducing potential risk. Soon we expect an updated report on the condition of the land, sea and marine sediment at the location, which was prepared according to international standards and the methodology of sampling, processing and analysis of the obtained values", said Mayor Burić.
Batižele is a unique project for the Republic of Croatia, which is also part of the ownership structure of the project. The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property, the Center for Restructuring and Sales and the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency are directly involved in the preparation of the project and, together with consulting teams, provide continuous support for its realization.
Adriatic Expo - Real Estate & Property Exhibition, which is held in the Crystal Hall of the Kvarner Hotel in Opatija, gathered the most important real estate agencies, developers, funds, representatives of cities, municipalities and regions, consultants and investors in one place. More than a thousand representatives of the most important companies, financial institutions, the real estate market, the tourism and hotel sector, as well as all those who sell or buy real estate and are looking for quality partners from the entire region, are expected at the fair over two days.
Published: 19.05.2023
