site.btaTwo of Three Bills Amending Spatial Development Act Pass on First Reading

Bulgaria's Parliament on Thursday passed on first reading two of three bills revising the Spatial Development Act.

The pieces of draft legislation that were approved were moved by Manol Genov and a group of BSP-United Left MPs and by Mladen Shishkov and a group of GERB-UDF MPs. A bill tabled by Bozhidar Bozhanov MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria was rejected.

The Shishkov bill revises the law in its part concerning designers' authorization and streamlines requirements for the issuing of building permits.

The Genov bill provides for a deferral of the effective date of changes in the framework, adopted in late 2012, requiring an effective master plan as a prerequisite for building development outside urbanized-area boundaries 

During the debate, Tsvetan Enchev MP of MRF - New Beginning said that of all 264 municipalities, 60 have not adopted their mast plans. In his words, this is the latest in a series of deferrals, which would impact adversely the implementation of development-project intentions in municipalities. Enchev called on municipalities which have not honoured their commitment to adopt the plans to do so.

Bozhanov's bill, which was defeated, envisaged digitalization of spatial-development planning.