The Old Bazaar of Peja is entering a new phase of development and protection, as the Management Plan treats it as a sustainable tourist attraction, with special emphasis on expanding the protected area.
According to this plan, the area under protection has increased significantly, reaching 25.34 hectares, while the perimeter of the Old Bazaar itself includes only 3.32 hectares. You can see the full document HERE.
This means that the protected area is now more than seven times larger than the original perimeter of the Bazaar.
The drafters of the Management Plan, according to the document, have announced that the expansion of the protected area was carried out as a result of direct requests from the Ministry of Culture, with the aim of preserving the historical, architectural and cultural values of this area.
The Management Plan, which was published in the Official Gazette on December 31 of last year, also significantly increases institutional responsibility, as it includes a much wider territory that requires continuous supervision, management and protection.
The Telegraph has contacted the Municipality of Peja regarding this expansion of the Old Bazaar.
The municipality's spokesperson, Faik Zekaj, stated that they were not aware of this process and that they only received a notification.
"The expansion of the Old Bazaar represents an obstacle to the implementation of the HZK, as some of the cadastral plots included in this area have a different purpose and floor plan," he said.
"We have not had an official invitation to be part of the working group and this only came to us as a notification from the Ministry that the area has been expanded."
Zekaj added that the Municipality of Peja also has a ten-year plan for cadastral zones, a plan which, according to him, has also been approved by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Spatial Planning.
Telegrafi has also contacted the Ministry of Culture to ask whether there has been any communication with the Municipality of Peja regarding the expansion of the Old Bazaar, but by the time of publishing the news, it had not received a response.
The Old Bazaar of Peja, located in the city center, is considered one of the most important cultural and tourist assets.
However, the expansion of the protected area is being seen as problematic from the point of view of implementation on the ground, as there are also tall commercial buildings in the area included in the expansion. /Telegrafi/
