A large number of houses are being built on the very coast, close to one another, without passages to the sea, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said at a government session.
Such examples were reported in almost every coastal county, Zoning Minister Marina Matulovic Dropulic said, mentioning Dubrovnik, Rogoznica, Prizba and other towns.
Under the decree, housing construction is banned in an area of 70 metres from the sea in isolated construction areas and in isolated areas with less than 50 percent of local population.
The ban does not refer to urban settlements, that is, towns.
The Protected Coastal Area has been defined as an area of special interest to the state, consisting of a belt stretching 1,000 metres into the mainland and 300 metres into the sea, and all islands.
The decree introduces strict rules of conduct in that area and its purpose is to preserve that area, the minister said.
Along with regulating housing construction, the decree bans the construction of quarries and windmills, waste depots, the extension of the coastline, etc.
The existing quarries in the protected area will remain, but they will have to be adapted to European standards, as will quarries on islands. New quarries on islands will be opened exclusively for construction purposes on individual islands.
The minister announced new measures in the field of zoning, such as workshops for architecture students and the establishment of a zoning institute.
She also said that the destruction of the illegally built facilities would resume.