Residents of the "Kiliite" villa zone in the capital's "Knyazhevo" district are protesting against construction and the felling of trees at the foot of Vitosha. The protest is scheduled for October 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of "Sinyata Skala" Street and "Tsar Boris III" Boulevard, where the organizers are also planning a blockade.
The dissatisfaction is related to a housing construction project on a property with an area of about 11 acres. According to data released by the “Vitosha“ district, the planned developed built-up area is 9411 square meters of above-ground construction, and the client is a private company. The construction permit was issued in 2023, but currently the activities have been suspended with Act 10.
Residents demand return of status
The organizers of the protest want the area to be returned to the status of a villa zone. They point out that in 2009 the territory was changed to a “Zhm2“ zone, which allows multi-storey and multi-family residential construction.
“They want to build blocks here. However, the land is not suitable for this. These will be huge septic tanks,“ said a resident of “Kiliite“, quoted by bTV. According to her, the trees were cut down in two or three days, without the residents of the area being notified.
The residents claim that the local infrastructure cannot handle such construction. There is no sewage system and a drainage system in the area, the roads are in poor condition, and during rainfall there is a risk of landslides and flooding. They also fear water pollution and additional load on the terrain.
Institutions begin inspections
The Directorate for National Construction Control has received a signal about the felling and destruction of woody vegetation and is conducting an inspection, Lupa.bg reported. From the “Vitosha“ region state that the construction permit was issued legally and that the project complies with the current development plan.
The district mayor Zarko Klinkov points out that the terrain is private property and the construction is provided for by the current development documents. The Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water states that the property does not fall within the “Vitosha“ protected area.
At the insistence of the citizens, the Sofia Municipal Council has established a temporary working group for a comprehensive study of the investment intentions and construction activities in “Kiliy“. The chairman of the council, Tsvetomir Petrov, stated that the construction documents, investment projects, the condition of the tree vegetation and the infrastructure must be analyzed.
“It is extremely important for us to conduct a thorough analysis of the existing documentation,“ said Petrov. The working group must clarify whether the construction and the logging carried out meet the legal requirements. Until the inspections are completed, Act 10 to suspend construction activities remains in effect.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg, actualno.com, lupa.bg