site.btaResidents of Sofia's Mladost Borough Protest against 22-Story Building Project

Residents of Sofia's Mladost borough Wednesday protested against the construction of a 75-metre-tall building in the area. Traffic on Aleksandar Malinov Boulevard was temporarily blocked.

The project will be put to a re-vote in the Sofia City Council on Thursday. The protesters’ main demand is that the decision on the 22-story building with nearly 60,000 square metres on municipal land be rejected, said protest organizer Georgi Dakashev.

The protest was coordinated with the Sofia Municipality, and there was police on site.

On May 14, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev returned the decision regarding the construction of a 22-story building in the Mladost borough to the Sofia City Council for reconsideration. The decision adopted by the Sofia City Council does not constitute a building permit and does not grant final approval for the construction of the building, the Mayor wrote on Facebook. It regulates the property relations between the co-owners of the land and establishes the legal framework for the possible granting of a building right in favor of the investor.

Dakashev said at the protest on Wednesday evening that they expect the municipal councillors to reconsider, vote against, and reject the project. He noted that the next decisions will be difficult and it is uncertain whether this decision can be overturned through legal channels alone. According to him, 30% of the planned building will be for the municipality, but there will be no sports centre or cultural building there. At this point, no decision regarding any building should be made without a broad public discussion, the protest organizer believes. 

Boris Bonev, municipal councillor of the Save Sofia party, who was at the protest, said that quality of life is not measured in money; it is measured by green spaces, parking lots, kindergartens, public transportation, clean air, and places for Sofia’s children to play - this must be the goal of good governance. "If tomorrow [Thursday] the municipal councillors once again decide to support the construction of the 22-story building, all the tools are solely in the Mayor’s hands, and I urge him - listen to these people, do the right thing," added Bonev.

Rositsa Nikolova, an architect and municipal councillor of Save Sofia, said she had proposed to the Mayor to issue an order for an ex officio amendment to the detailed zoning plan. "Since the municipality owns 92% of the property, it should decide what to do with this land - whether it will be for landscaping or a kindergarten," she argued. Nikolova called on Mayor Vassil Terziev not to look at economic or private interests but at the people gathered at Wednesday's protest.

At the protest, citizens signed a petition calling for the preservation of a sustainable living environment that respects the interests and civil rights of residents, the management of municipal property with an emphasis on health and quality of life, and the development of a comprehensive plan and strategy for the development of the Mladost borough.