In the late summer, the draft document Detailed Regulatory Plan (DRP) of the Old City Centre of Rahovec will be handed for public review, under the legal provisions in force. The need of drafting this document, which started in October 2014, before drafting the Municipal Zoning Map is due to the poor condition of cultural heritage buildings and monuments in this part of city. The project is part of priorities of the Local Cultural Heritage Plan of this municipality. This plan was drafted by CHwB, the Municipality of Rahovec and other central level institutions in the framework of the Program of Local Cultural Heritage Plans and co-financed by the Swedish government, through CHwB and the municipality of Rahovec.

[caption id="attachment_5088" align="alignnone" width="6000"] Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pano_orahovac.jpg[/caption]

According to the current research, in the city of Rahovec were identified 30 buildings classified as cultural heritage monuments (mosques, masjids, vernacular houses- Kulla, houses, inns and public fountains). From this list, 9 monuments are registered in the List of cultural heritage under temporary protection of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, as well as in the Regional Centre for Cultural Heritage in Prizren. The other buildings are considered as potential ones to be part of this list, and as such they will be treated in this document.

The Department of Urbanism, Planning and Environmental Protection (DUPEP) of the Municipality of Rahovec in cooperation with CHwB is determined that the process of drafting the Detailed Regulatory Plan (DRP) for the Old City Centre of Rahovec should be participatory and inclusive. DUPEP has designated the responsible staff for managing the drafting process of DRP and has organized the residents of the area in a Community Advisory Group. At the same time it has engaged a local NGO to serve as a bridge between DUPEP and community.

The Community Advisory Group has been consulted from the beginning of the process of drafting this plan, starting from: (1) The existing situation; (2) The vision, aims, and objectives; (3) Determination of the old core; (4) The rules for development; and (5) Provisions for implementation. By respecting the Administrative Instruction for Responsibilities and Procedures for Public Participation in Spatial Planning for all the above chapters, special workshops were organized to get the contribution of the Community Advisory Group and the residents of the area treated with plan.

The area of the historic core of the city consists of every building and significant monument together with 50 meters radius starting from the corners of the plot where the buildings are located. As such, the core of the city is subject to double regulation for development. First, the plots and buildings in the city core will undergo urban development rules depending on which area they are, determined by the map of land use, and second, this area is subject to additional cultural heritage regulations. This does not mean that developments in this area will be stopped, but that any development in this area especially physical improvements and facades of buildings must be in harmony with cultural heritage buildings.

To analyse the current situation of the area treated with the plan, a socio-economic survey was conducted door to door with local residents. Apart from this, the analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) was conducted, which serves as a tool to set strategic priorities in which public and private sector investments should focus to improve the situation of this area. At the same time, this analysis serves as a basis to define the vision, aims and objectives of the plan. This analysis was conducted in a workshop together with the Community Advisory Group.

All the data from this process are structured, processed and verified in cooperation with the Community Advisory Group, DUPEP staff and other relevant sectors in the municipality, to reflect the real situation by taking into account the problems, values and interests of local residents. Analysis of the current situation has led to a vision and realistic plan for implementation.