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Serbia's legislative body has approved a bill that paves the way for a controversial real estate venture overseen by former President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in the capital.

The business entity Affinity Partners has planned to develop a high-end hotel and apartment complex on the location of the previous Yugoslav Army central command.

The damaged structure, which was bombed by Nato forces in 1999 amid its campaign to stop the Serbian military campaign in Kosovo, holds symbolic meaning to some who view it as a memorial and representation of continuing resistance to the defense organization.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic, who has sought close ties with Trump, has endorsed the plans notwithstanding protests and constitutional objections.

Previously, the national government revoked the building of its heritage classification and approved a long-term contract with Kushner's organization, which had proposed designs for a half-billion dollar construction.

The ruling triggered protests and initiated an probe into whether a Serbian government representative had forged documentation utilized during the process to modify the property's status.

In a discussion earlier this year, President Aleksandar Vucic defended the initiative, saying "it's important to overcome the weight from 1999".

He added: "We are prepared to establish improved connections with the America – I believe that is exceptionally important for this country."

The halted approval timeline came to a head last week when the president's political group – which holds a majority in the assembly – pushed ahead with a designated vote on preparing the site and succeeded.

Rival representatives have labelled the outcome against the constitution, among them Aleksandar Jovanovic, who termed it as a "violation", and declared the historic site would be exchanged with "gambling venues and Jacuzzis".

Simultaneously, progressive representative Marinika Tepic commented the administration was compromising the country's history "to satisfy the former president".

The approval of the bill has furthermore been criticised by architectural professionals, and arrives subsequent to Transparency Serbia, an integrity institution, raised apprehensions about publicly-endorsed initiatives.

Based on Serbian press accounts pre-dating his maiden election bid, Trump in the past explored building a accommodation venue in Belgrade.

Last March, Kushner stated reporters he was not aware of his family member's reported past involvement.

The decision to pave the path for the construction arrives as Vucic's government seeks to sustain positive ties with each of the United States and Moscow.

Serbia has been affected by each of the former president's tariffs and penalties on Moscow's investments in the state, encompassing on its only oil-refinery, the primarily Russian-owned Nafna Industrika Srbije (NIS).