Dubrovnik councilor warns new urban plan cannot retroactively stop permits

Dubrovnik city councilor Viktorija Knežević has raised concerns regarding the legal limitations of the city's upcoming General Urban Plan (GUP). While the new plan aims to protect specific areas by designating them as green spaces, Knežević warns that it cannot retroactively cancel construction permit applications that were validly submitted under the current plan.

Knežević addressed statements made by Mayor Mato Franković, who claimed to have halted all permit processes in protected areas until the new GUP is adopted. The councilor argued that such a claim is legally inaccurate, noting that if a project meets all current legal and zoning requirements, the city is obligated to process the request according to existing rules. She emphasized that a new urban plan does not apply retroactively and that the city cannot legally refuse a valid application simply because the land is slated to become a green zone in the future.