PUBLIC HEARINGS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PROGRAM AND THE GREEN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

The City Administration for Environmental Protection is informing all the stakeholders that public hearings regarding the drafts of the 2015–2024 Novi Sad Environmental Protection Program and the 2015–2030 Novi Sad Green Development Strategy will be held between March 2nd and March 16th, 2015. The mentioned documents are available at the official website of the City Administration for Environmental Protection www.environovisad.org.rs.

The City Administration is inviting all those interested to join the public hearings by submitting written opinions, remarks and suggestions to the address of the Administration and by participating in public presentations of the Environmental Protection Program draft, which will be held on March 16th, 2015 in the Blue Conference Hall of the Novi Sad City Assembly, address Žarka Zrenjanina 2, at 10:00 a.m., while the Green Development Strategy draft will be presented on the same day and place, at 12:00 a.m.

The City of Novi Sad, on the proposal of the relevant city administration department, participated in the open call of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities for the provision of professional support to the local self-government units in strategic planning and finance management within the EU Exchange 4 Program, and on the basis of the estimate of an independent evaluation team, the City has been selected for support in the development of the Novi Sad Environmental Protection Program.With a technical assistance of a consultant in charge of the Program development and engaged by the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, the Coordination Team, which was formed and appointed by the Mayor of Novi Sad, created the Program of Environmental Protection. This important document represents the basis of creating environmental policy in the City of Novi Sad for the next ten years and is one of the first referential programs made in Serbia.

Bearing in mind that the City of Novi Sad does not possess a strategic document that regulates long-term planning and development of green areas, the Administration for Environmental Protection launched an initiative to create a Strategy for development of green areas system in 2013. The Strategy development was entrusted to the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Department of pomiculture, viticulture, horticulture and landscape architecture, while the project was funded in line with the Program of use of the budget funds dedicated to the environmental protection. The Strategy combines community needs and defines benchmarks of future plans a well as the resource allocation. It also supports local development and represents a kind of a guide to the City government bodies, public and public utility companies, professional and non-governmental organizations as well as to potential investors in the process of planning, designing, development, use, and maintenance of green areas. Consequently, Novi Sad will be the first city in Serbia which will have clearly defined document whose application will provide long-term, planned and sustainable management of the green infrastructure.

Novi Sad, 4th March 2015