Belgrade Waterfront () is a large mixed-use urban renewal development on the right bank of the Sava in central Belgrade, Serbia. The project covers the Sava Amphitheatre and parts of the Savamala neighbourhood, extending broadly between Branko's Bridge and the Belgrade Fair. It is being developed through a joint venture between the Republic of Serbia and Eagle Hills, a real-estate company based in the United Arab Emirates.
The project was launched in 2014 with the renovation of the Belgrade Cooperative building, and the joint-venture agreement was signed in April 2015. Its master plan provides for approximately of development, including residential and office buildings, hotels, retail and educational facilities, parks, promenades and other public spaces.
The Serbian government and the developer have presented Belgrade Waterfront as the regeneration of formerly underused railway and industrial land and as a source of housing, investment, infrastructure and public riverfront space. The project has also been the subject of sustained criticism concerning its project-specific legal and planning framework, the selection of the private partner without an open competition, the contribution of publicly owned land and infrastructure, limited public participation, and its architectural and urban impact. Controversy was further intensified by the Savamala demolitions in April 2016, when masked men unlawfully demolished buildings in an area designated for the development.
Location Belgrade Waterfront occupies part of the Sava Amphitheatre on the right bank of the Sava, extending approximately from Branko's Bridge to the Belgrade Fair. The area was historically occupied by railway infrastructure associated with Belgrade Main railway station, and its large-scale redevelopment required the relocation of the railway junction.
Plans for urban development along the Sava riverfront date to the interwar period. Following an international planning competition held in 1921 and 1922, Belgrade's first officially adopted general plan was prepared in 1923–1924 by a commission led by architect Đorđe Pavlović Kovaljevski. The plan addressed the city's expansion and modernization but was not fully implemented.
Location heritage
The implementation of Belgrade Waterfront has involved the clearance, demolition or replacement of several pre-existing green spaces, buildings and transport structures. These interventions have prompted criticism concerning the loss of mature vegetation, the treatment of older buildings, property rights and the preservation of structures associated with the history of Savamala.
Bristol Park, also known as Svetonikolski Park, was established around the beginning of the 20th century from a garden created by merchant and benefactor Luka Ćelović. An urban project placed on public inspection in April 2024 proposed constructing a two-level underground garage with approximately 450 parking spaces beneath the park and retaining five of its 86 existing trees. Location conditions issued later that year required the number of newly planted trees to be no lower than the number found before construction, recommended the preservation of valuable existing trees and required at least of soil above the garage to accommodate tall vegetation. Belgrade Waterfront stated that the reconstructed park would contain approximately 200 trees, including mature specimens planted on the garage's green roof. By January 2026, however, the previous park had been cleared and enclosed as a construction site leading to the complete disappearance of the existing historic park.
The former Simpo department-store building was demolished in October 2018 after being acquired by the Serbian state for the development. The structure had been built in 1922 as a warehouse for the Franco-Serbian Bank and was later purchased by furniture manufacturer Simpo, which added two floors and substantially reconstructed it between 1985 and 1987. Reports preceding the demolition had referred to its possible reconstruction, but it was subsequently reported that its deteriorated condition made demolition the only feasible option. The state reportedly paid approximately €12 million for the building and land. The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network noted that the joint-venture agreement listed both the Simpo and Iskra properties as containing , although the Simpo complex alone included of retail space and an additional of warehouses and auxiliary structures. BIRN and Transparency Serbia questioned whether the discrepancy meant that Serbia had contributed substantially more property value than had been recognised in the original agreement.
The property of the company Iskra was also affected during the clearance of Savamala. On 8 May 2015, a fence erected by the company in 1964 was demolished without prior notice, and employees of Millennium Team occupied part of the land used by Iskra on 24 June. Several structures used by the company were subsequently demolished during the wider Savamala demolitions of 25 April 2016. In November 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the demolition of the fence and the taking of the land had violated Iskra's right to the peaceful enjoyment of its possessions under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court found that the legal procedures intended to protect against arbitrary interference had been entirely circumvented and that the existence of special legislation for Belgrade Waterfront did not remove the company's right to due process. The judgment concerned the events of May and June 2015; it did not determine responsibility for the separate April 2016 demolition of Iskra's buildings, which remained the subject of domestic proceedings and investigation.
The removal of the Old Sava Bridge was also associated with the redevelopment because its right-bank approaches pass through Savamala and the Belgrade Waterfront planning area. Although the bridge replacement is a municipal infrastructure project rather than a building developed by Belgrade Waterfront, the Belgrade Land Development Public Agency states that one purpose of the new bridge is to introduce higher-capacity traffic flows into the area covered by the special-purpose spatial plan for the development. The bridge, erected during the German occupation in 1942 and retained after the Second World War, was closed to traffic on 1 November 2024. Its steel structure was dismantled during 2025, and its characteristic central arch was removed from the river piers on 30 July 2025. City officials argued that the old bridge was in poor condition, had insufficient capacity and obstructed the capital's development, while preservation groups, architects and some residents opposed its removal on historical, traffic and procedural grounds. The city stated that preserved parts of the structure would be inspected and potentially reassembled at another location, but the final location and use of the removed bridge had not been determined when its arch was taken down.
Expansion
In October 2025, the Serbian government adopted amendments to the project's spatial plan, expanding its area from approximately 180 to 330 hectares across the municipalities of Savski Venac, New Belgrade and Čukarica. The expanded planning area includes the Belgrade Fair, Terazije Terrace, the former petroleum-storage site near the fairgrounds, the Topčider River corridor, the Čukarica backwater and part of the left bank of the Sava in New Belgrade.
The plan designates Terazije Terrace as a public green space and proposes a green corridor along Kamenička Street connecting the Terazije ridge with Karađorđeva Street and the Sava riverfront. At the Belgrade Fair, Halls 1, 2 and 3 and the administration building are to remain a public-use complex, with their future functions to be determined through an architectural and urban-planning competition.
On the New Belgrade side, the plan covers former industrial and storage areas intended for a mixture of commercial, residential, sporting and green-space uses. It also provides for a linear park along the former railway route, with the Old Railway Bridge converted into a pedestrian and bicycle connection between the two banks. The planned corridor continues towards the Topčider River and Ada Ciganlija, while the Čukarica backwater is designated for marina and recreational uses.
More than 10,000 objections were submitted during the public-review process. Following the review, blocks 51 and 52 at Terazije Terrace and blocks 57 and 58 near Sava Square were excluded from the amended plan.
Belgrade Waterfront project
The Belgrade Waterfront project was publicly presented in 2014 as a large-scale redevelopment of the Sava riverbank. That year, the Serbian government designated it a project of special importance, and a master plan was presented at the renovated Belgrade Cooperative building.
An agreement establishing the joint venture responsible for the development was signed in April 2015. Under the agreement, the Republic of Serbia held a 32 per cent stake and the United Arab Emirates-based developer Eagle Hills held 68 per cent. The project covered approximately 177 hectares and was planned to include residential, commercial, public and green spaces, with development scheduled over a period of up to 30 years.
Preparation of the site involved removing railway infrastructure, clearing existing structures and relocating transport facilities, including services formerly operating from Belgrade Main railway station. Initial site works began in 2014, while construction of the first residential buildings started in September 2015.
Construction
The development was planned in several phases, beginning with construction in the central riverfront area and later extending towards Branko's Bridge, the Gazela Bridge and Savska Street. The plans included residential and commercial buildings, public facilities and the reconstruction of several protected structures.
The first building permits were issued in September 2015, and construction of the two BW Residences towers began later that month. Construction of Kula Belgrade began in 2016, followed in 2017 by the Galerija shopping centre and additional residential buildings.
An amended spatial plan adopted by the Serbian government in April 2022 provided for further residential and commercial development, as well as schools, health, cultural and recreational facilities. It also incorporated three planned stations on the proposed Belgrade Metro network: Belgrade Fair, Mostar and Sava Square.
Construction status