site.btaConstruction of Controversial 22-Storey Building in Sofia's Mladost Borough Confirmed by Municipal Council

On Thursday, the Sofia Municipal Council once again endorsed the report submitted by Mladost Mayor Ivaylo Kukurin and Municipal Councillor Dragomir Ivanov to grant building rights for a 22-storey building with nearly 60,000 square metres of gross floor area on municipal land in the Mladost borough in exchange for compensation in the form of equivalent properties.

Municipal councillors from Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria, Save Sofia, Vazrazhdane, Voyslav Todorov of BSP for Bulgaria, and independent councillor Vanya Grigorova voted against the construction of the 75-metre-tall building.

In the previous vote on the report on April 30, a total of 34 councillors supported the building's construction. Following protests by Mladost residents and calls from Save Sofia to reconsider the decision, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev returned the report for reconsideration on grounds of expediency, so that the Sofia Municipal Council could hold a new debate in which all arguments related to the development of the area and public expectations would be taken into account. 

During Thursday’s debate, Boyko Dimitrov of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria spoke out against the construction in Mladost and called for the protection of the public interest and a reconsideration of the Sofia Municipal Council’s decision. He highlighted the discontent of thousands of borough residents regarding new construction. “We still do not understand what the district will get in return and what the actual vision for the borough is,” he argued.

He warned that behind the site of the 22-storey building there are additional areas designated for development.

Rositsa Nikolova of Save Sofia said that a contract with a mobile operator takes precedence over the protection of the public interest in Mayor Kukurin’s report. According to her, 92% of the land in Mladost is municipally owned, and Sofia Municipality cannot protect it. Andrey Zografski added that a city’s development is not measured in metres of concrete. He cited Vienna as an example, where high-rise construction is located outside the city centre.

Voyslav Todorov of BSP for Bulgaria said the case is symptomatic of the Sofia Municipal Council’s attitude toward the borough residents. In his words, the councillors must decide whether they stand with the construction interests or with the citizens. However, his fellow BSP member Stanislav Mladenov told reporters after the vote that this is “a good deal that will bring significant financial revenue to the municipality.”

Mariela Staykova addressed the municipal councillors on behalf of over 450 residents of Block 326 in Mladost 3, which is in the immediate vicinity of the site of the future 75-metre-tall building. She stated that Kukurin’s report “breaks all records for bureaucratic arrogance” and is an expression of “ruthless construction genocide” and “administrative shamelessness.” According to her, the Mayor of Mladost is rushing to finalize the process at the end of his term. She added that there is a strong perception of corruption among residents. In her view, the clearing of natural greenery and the development of one of the last remaining municipal plots are unacceptable.

Ahead of Thursday's vote, Mladost residents staged yet another protest against the building's construction on Wednesday evening, temporarily blocking traffic on Aleksandar Malinov Boulevard.