Bulgarias Capital City To Expand Northwards, Property Agents Say Opposite

Major investors plan to construct residential complexes in the northern suburbs of Sofia.

Sofia chief architect (the equivalent of a city planner) Petar Dikov was to present the idea to the Sofia Municipal Council (SMC), 24 Chassa daily reported.

Dikov said that his idea was that SMC define the territories for long-term development. Companies that build in the selected areas would have to undertake to construct infrastructure there, he said.

Sofia’s zoning plan also foresaw development of the city to the north of the ring-road. The municipality wants to attract investors to the region by improving access. The authorities plan to construct a freeway to connect to the Hemus and Trakia highways to the east and with the road to Kalotina border checkpoint to the west.

According to Dikov, the areas to the north-east of the city were less attractive to investors because of the Kremikovtsi metal processing plant

Sofia lacked large municipal-owned sites and most of the plots to be built on were private, 24 Chassa said.

Nearly one million sq m of agriculture land will turned into plots in regulation.

Real estate agents said that investors would continue being interested in the southern and western regions of Sofia, despite the plans of the municipality to expand the city to the north.