Is the Split skyline safe after all?
Split mayor Ivo Baldasar has said that the highest skyscraper in Croatia will be built in Split, referring to one of the two “Westgate” towers which are currently being built along the Domovinskog Rata Street. The investors have requested the change to the main city zoning plan so that eight additional floors could be added to one of the skyscrapers. However, it seems that perhaps nothing will come out of it, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on August 17, 2015.
The city published on its website a document titled “Corrections of Technical Errors”. It seems that the urban planners have decided not to allow the required increase in height of the building. Investors from S.B. Toranj and Westgate were not available for comment.
Some time ago, the rumours were that the headquarters of the Splitska Banka will be located at the site. In July 2010, while the company Pisa Trade was carrying out archaeological research related to the Diocletian Aqueduct, Westgate said they were trying to get permission to build a skyscraper with 20,000 square metres on that location.
However, in May 2012, the then Split mayor Željko Kerum approved a project to build two skyscrapers. Westgate said at the time that the total area of the whole complex will be 45,000 square metres. Architect Otto Barić announced that the Tower A will have 14 floors, and Tower B 17 floors. In the proposed changes to the main city zoning plan, Tower B would have additional 6,700 square metres, which would mean a total of 25 floors, with the height of 100 metres.
“For the site in question, the tender has been completed and the permits have been issued, so the building parameters will not be changed”, say city planners. Whether Split will get the highest skyscraper in the country at the one of the busiest intersections in the city will definitely be known after the adoption of the final version of the amendments to the city zoning plans.
