Residents Of Sofias Mladost District Protest Against Construction Plans

The initiative committee of Sofia’s Mladost district’s residents, together with Zelenite political party (Bulgarian Greens), will stage a rally on June 23 at 7pm in front of the Mladost district hall to protest against the district's urban plan, which envisions building up areas between blocks of flats and the “destruction of green areas” in Mladost.

The committee has created a website, where they put pictures and descriptions of all places that would be "destroyed", and called on fellow residents to “Come to clearly express our standpoint and disagreement with this madness!”

The reason for the rally is the detailed master plan of the district, which includes many new residential and business buildings to be constructed over the existing green areas, yards and children’s playgrounds.

Zelenite said that the priorities for development of Mladost district should be completely different: new kindergartens, completing the construction of the metro, new connection to Tsarigradsko Chaussee boulevard, construction of underground parking lots and new sports playgrounds.

Approached for comment by The Sofia Echo, Mladost district chief architect Boyka Kudreva said on June 20 that it was funny that the residents planned to protest in front of the local municipality building, as its employees are only mediating the residents’ will to Sofia municipality, which is the one to take the final decision about what parts of the detailed master plan would be approved and what would be rejected. About the protests, Kudreva said, “This is unnecessarily adding fuel to the fire incited by political ambitions,” but said that she did not know which political party was behind it.

Kudreva said Mladost municipality is holding additional public hearings on June 24-26 and on July 1-2 to hear the residents’ complaints and to receive their written suggestions about the district’s detailed master plan. Sofia chief architect Petar Dikov will also attend the public hearings and the residents will get their chance to complain directly to him, she said.