For years, the Gorica hill has been recognized as a place where the people of Podgorica love to spend their free time, enjoying the charms of nature. However, a catering facility was built in Gorica a few years ago, and recently a parking lot, which was condemned by the citizens of Podgorica as well as the NGO sector.

From the non-governmental organization Green Home, they told the Standard that the parking lot next to the bicycle path in Gorica is unnecessary.

“When it comes to parking lots, their positioning in Gorica next to bicycle paths is absurd and unnecessary. That area, where vehicles were already illegally parked on a large scale, should have been protected and the vegetation restored. This way, little by little, because of someone’s petty interests, the parts of the forest park in Gorica is being “torn away”. We believe that there is enough parking in the area, and that more bicycle ramps for parking, places for pedestrians to rest should have been built, and not meet car-conformists at the expense of one of the last green oases of Podgorica”, this NGO told the Standard.

They believe that this project was done with insufficient transparency and that this is no accident.

“The 450-meter path that does not continue, but connects to the parking lot, raises the suspicion that someone misused this investment. It is enough to ask what the 450 meters of the path means, why it is fragmented and what is the use of that path? Most true fans of the Gorica Forest Park, as well as many citizens of Podgorica, are aware that areas such as Ljubović, Gorica, Njegoš Park and Toloshi Forest are the last places for recreationists and nature lovers in the urban part of the city”, according to Green home.

They also noted that non-governmental organizations and citizens were not familiar with the construction of the parking lot.

“Non-governmental organizations did not have information about these activities, scope, content, materials that will be implemented in Gorica with this plan”, this NGO announced.

“If they continue in this way, we can expect that in addition to cafes, parking lots, and private facilities of a “temporary character” in Gorica, there will also be an open-air disco, vacation bungalows and playrooms with plastic elements. The main problem lies in the fact that the competent local institutions did not analyze the pressures on biodiversity, landscape values ​​and the environment of the Gorica area. Such an analysis would provide the basis for assessing the carrying capacity, that is, calculating how much Gorica can withstand visitors, buildings, waste water, soil pollution, concreting, etc., while preserving natural and landscape values. Through this assessment, limits are prescribed for all pressures and the contents and structures of the Park are developed. “We believe that Gorica has long been under great pressure from construction, gradual and interest group-designed repurposing of space, which is why these activities need to be completely suspended, until measures for rehabilitation and recultivation of damaged units are planned,” explained the NGO Green Home.

We remind you that this investment cost 30,000 euros, and the capital city realized the project with the support of the company “Explorer”, which manages the Adventure Park in Gorica.

Taken from the STANDARD portal