Is the Mall of Split finally set to open?
Unofficial sources claim that the Mall of Split shopping centre in Split could finally open its doors on Friday, 4 December. However, if the investor fails to obtain all the necessary permits by then, the opening would probably be postponed until March. At this moment, no one yet knows whether the remaining ten days will be enough to complete the construction works, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on November 25, 2015.
As of yesterday, access roads to the shopping centre finally have permission, the investor has also submitted a request for the operational permit to be issued, which could be obtained in parallel with the technical inspection of the whole centre, in order to complete all the necessary preconditions needed for the opening of the facility.
Teo Vojković, head of the Department of Physical Planning and Construction of the City of Split, said that it was in the city’s interest for the facility to come to life as soon as possible, and that the representatives of the city authorities would do their part of the job as quickly as possible.
It is certain that many citizens can hardly wait to step into the new shopping heaven, enthusiastically hoping for that to happen right now, during the holiday shopping season. But, if it turns out that the investor will not have enough time to fix the “paperwork”, the tenants will certainly refuse to open their shops and offer the goods during the January sales season. Such a thing has never been happened with the opening of such facilities, so the tenants will probably prefer to wait for another three months and welcome the first customers with their spring/summer collections.
However, despite everything, the centre with its impressive 61,700 square metres, which will attract half a million people from the surrounding region, has already turned on the lights, is being guarded by security guards, and if we add the heating, water and other utilities, it is clear that each new day brings enormous costs. Everybody involved refused to speculate how much money is being lost daily with the centre not being open.
