Tourism Center Brzece on Kopaonik to Have up to 10,000 Beds, But Also Youth and Sports Center, Ethno Zones – Construction of Road and Railway Around National Park Planned

The Municipality of Brus has opened the early public inspection on the occasion of the preparation of the amendment to the part of the general regulation plant for the settlement of Brzece Kopaonik, namely, for Unit 5 (eastern tourism zone) and a part of Unit 4 (southern tourism zone). The plan was prepared by Arhiplan from Arandjelovac, and the plan says that the secondary tourism center Brzece, along with the nearby Gocmanac, will base its development on tourism, agriculture and small business in an integration with the Tourism Center (TC) Kopaonik.

Relative to the functions of the National Park, Brzece represents the main eastern station of the National Park, in front of which, within the settlement, a campsite is envisaged. In the function of tourism in the area of the National Park and its surroundings, within the Brzece/Gocmanci complex, features of tourist accommodation and settlement public services, recreation and sports, as well as accommodation for a part of the employees at the TC Kopaonik, are envisaged. A special characteristic of the settlement is the polyvalent youth center (Junior), the plan points out.

Brzece/Gocmanci leans on sectors 5 and 6 of the alpine ski track with the planned cabin ski lifts Brzece – Bregovi – Srebrnac and Bela Ruka – Karaman Greben – Suvo Rudiste (with the FIS range “Bela Reka”) and two planned ski lifts – opposite from “Junior” and “Strug”.

The secondary tourism center Brzece with Gocmanac in the territory of the municipality of Brus is defined with the following capacities and features:

– 10,000 tourist beds – 8,000 in Brzece and 2,000 in Gocmanac, with a recommendation of features and a suitable distribution of the capacities in the following way: hotels, tourism apartments, a youth center (Junior), resorts, boarding houses/vacation houses, private accommodation;
– public services and services in the function of tourism – parking lots and garages, commerce, hospitality, technical services in the function of accommodation, public and sports and recreation features, polyvalent hall, developed ethno-zone of old water wills with an ethno-club and an eco-club, a youth center with sports camps, congress features and other, tourism club, tourism organization, TC Kopaonik reception and other;
– of the sports and recreation features, the following are envisaged: a sports and recreation center with a polyvalent sports hall, a solarium, an open skate rink, courts for futsal/handball, basketball, volleyball, tennis and sports clubs (ice skating, tennis and other), a sports complex of the youth center (open courts for small sports and an ice skating rink) and a dispersed recreational-entertainment features organized by club (safari, equestrian, cycling, ski/roller and other).

The plan says that the alpine ski track is conceived of as a unique, connected system of gondolas and ski tracks, from Djordjevic, Crna Glava and Kriva Reka to the north to Lisina and Belo Brdo to the south, and from Josanicka Banja to the west to Brzece and Palez to the east, in the territories of the municipalities of Raska, Brus and Leposavic.

The spatial plan confirms the planning solution under which the potential corridor of the circuitous road around the border of the NP Kopaonik, at an altitude of around 1,000 to 1,200 meters, is reserved, and which will be formed by connecting the existing forest roads, municipal roads and the IIa-grade state road, and to a lesser extent, by building new sections. Suitable technical and planning documentation will be prepared for the circuitous road, which will determine its route.

In addition to the planned circuitous road, the network of the existing roads will be supplemented by the construction of new sections, namely, at Jaram, where the construction of a traffic route to the Crni Jelak location is planned, in the function of planned sports and tourist features, with a length of around 1.1 km, and from Brzece/Mramor to Duboka/start of the Krcmar ski lift, with a length of around 4.5 km.

The planned route of the electrical cog-mountain circuitous railway around the area of the NP Kopaonik, which is for the most part located in the corridor of the planned circuitous road, would have two main stations in: Kriva Reka and Josanicka Banja.

The realization of the circuitous railway with an electrical train around the area of the NP Kopaonik will enable access to the area under all weather conditions, a reduction of car traffic, connecting of villages, tourist settlements and centers with entrances to the ski resort, which will considerably improve movements across the territory of the NP Kopaonik without jeopardizing the environment and the nature.

In the category of secondary municipal centers, the plan includes Josanicka Banja as a traditional settlement and secondary tourism center and Suvo Rudiste as a new, specific high-mountain center within the TC Kopaonik in the municipality of Raska and Brzece as a new secondary tourism center in the municipality of Brus.

The General Regulation Plan area is split into six spatial units:

– UNIT 1 – spatial unit north – residence in the northern part of the plan (around 40 ha);
– UNIT 2 – northern tourism zone (around 14 ha);
– UNIT 3 – central tourism zone Bela Reka (around 13 ha);
– UNIT 4 – southern tourism zone (around 51 ha);
– UNIT 5 – eastern tourism zone (around 10 ha);
– UNIT 6 – ski resort zone (around 1.3 ha);

Unit 4 encompasses the space south of the Bela Reka center along the Brzece – Knezevo road. The area of this zone is around 51 ha. Around 10 ha has been built. Within this zone is Hotel Junior. The construction of tourism-hospitality features is planned. The tourism capacities are of the hotel type, with a large share of sports and recreation as an accompanying purpose. This is a zone of “more peaceful” tourism, with large free areas. Weekend residence, residence with business, are the existing purposes and the inherited obligations within this unit.

Unit 5 encompasses the space east of the Bela Reka center. The area of this unit is around 10 ha, and aside from a couple of weekend residential facilities, it is fully undeveloped and not equipped with infrastructure. The space of Unit 5 is perhaps the most favorable space for construction in the area of the plan, with a favorable orientation and not too big of a terrain incline. The initiated parcellation, based on the previous planning documentation, has conditioned the planning of weekend settlements in this zone. The remaining part of the unit has a tourism-hospitality purpose. An area with a service purpose is planned within this unit as well. The structure and the manner of the use of the space are similar to the planned manner for Unit 4, it is added in the changes which are up for public inspection.

The special goals of the amendments to the Detailed Regulation Plan are as follows:

– creating the conditions for the development of a wide range of tourism activities, as the leading economic branch of sustainable development of the secondary tourism center within the National Park “Kopaonik”;
– creating the conditions for the continuation of the construction of the connected system of the alpine skiing area (which should also be developed within the part of the settlement which is covered by this amendment to the plan, according to the planning document of the wider area);
– securing adequate environmental protection, in line with the III degree protection regime at the National Park “Kopaonik”;
– securing the spatial conditions for the suitable traffic infrastructure – road, rail (electric cog-mountain circuitous railway) and vertical transport means – a ski lift, in line with the guidelines from the planning documentation of the wider area;
– securing adequate utility infrastructure equipment of the space, in line with the planned purpose of the land.

The early public inspection will last until November 28.

S. T.