Irakli Property Owners Protest In Bulgaria

Owners of property in the Irakli and Emona coastal regions blocked the Bourgas-Varna road on November 3 in a protest against a construction ban in the two protected regions.

Ecology and Water Affairs Minister Djevdet Chakurov imposed the ban, since the two regions hold  some of the last remaining wild beaches in Bulgaria.

The ban would remain in force for a period of one year, BGNES news agency reported.

Property owners said that the territories that fall under the construction ban have always contained arable land and were never the home of any rare plant or animal species.

Plans for construction in the protected regions involved only the setting up of low buildings and the development of elite tourism opportunities, property owners said.

Nessebar mayor Nikolai Trifonov said that the municipality had to follow ministerial orders. Since the imposition of the ban Nessebar municipality has refrained from issuing construction permits.

Irakli and Emona property owners said that they were going to send a declaration to the President and the Prime Minister. The declaration will demand that the plots mentioned are excluded from the protected region, BGNES reported.