In order to restore legality and protect the public interest, the mayor of Sofia Municipality Vasil Terziev submitted a proposal to the Sofia Municipal Council (SMC) to amend the detailed development plan (DDP) in the area of \u200b\u200b“Krustova Vada“, in the part for which there is a declared investment intention to build a building with a height of 215 meters.
The mayor's report will be considered at the upcoming meeting of the SMC on July 24, 2025. The proposal aims to eliminate significant violations of the law committed during the approval of the plan in 2017, when development with parameters outside the legally permissible for the respective development zone was accepted.
According to the submitted project, the purpose of the property remains unchanged, but it is proposed to limit development indicators such as density, intensity and height, in accordance with the current General Development Plan of the Sofia Municipality.
“Our duty is to restore legality and protect the right of all Sofia residents to a favorable and reasonably planned urban environment. This proposal does not aim at unprincipled blocking of investments, but at setting sustainable rules that apply equally to everyone“, said Mayor Vasil Terziev.
In fulfillment of the commitment made, the Chief Architect of Sofia, Arch. Bogdana Panayotova, commissioned the preparation of an analysis of the development planning in the area. The analysis carried out by the “Architecture and Urban Planning“ department identified a number of significant problems:
• The PUP approved by the SOS in 2017 is based on an interpretative letter from the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (MRDPW), which has no legal force. The document is a response to an individual inquiry and is not an act with regulatory or binding force.
• The planned development contradicts the zoning restrictions established in the current regulatory framework, and the SOS decision is based on an opinion that does not constitute an interpretation of the ZTA or any other legal act, nor does it provide instructions to state or municipal authorities.
• There are no justified reasons for amending the plan - both zoning and economically, socially or socially significant arguments. The decision is an unmotivated individual administrative act.
• There are no grounds provided for in Art. 134, para. 1, item 1 of the ZUT (substantial changes in the socio-economic or development conditions have occurred) or Art. 134, para. 2, item 6 of the ZUT (consent of all owners) for allowing the change.
„It is completely incorrect to accept an individual letter from the MRDPW on a specific case as an interpretative act or legal basis for changing a development plan. With its decision of 2017, the SOS approved the PUP in the absence of a valid legal justification, which seriously impaired the right of Sofia residents to a favorable living environment – a basic principle enshrined in the ZUT“, said the chief architect of Sofia, arch. Bogdana Panayotova added that this was a harmful practice of circumventing the law by referring to invalid documents and has been applied repeatedly in the last 10 years. “Therefore, the decision of the SOS is key - not only in this case, but as a signal whether the city policy will be based on rules or convenient exceptions,” said Arch. Panayotova.
Based on the analysis carried out, the mayor of Sofia believes that the current plan should be amended on the basis of Art. 134, para. 2, p. 5 of the ZTA, which allows for amendments in the event of significant violations found during the approval of the previous plan.
“I firmly believe that in this case we are obliged to take all necessary actions to restore the legality of spatial planning and to protect the public interest and the right of Sofia residents and guests of the city to an orderly and reasonably developed urban environment“, emphasized Mayor Vasil Terziev.