Turn around! A businessman condemned MK because of the rejected grandiose project next to the Monday market

The Administrative Court in Plovdiv overturned a decision to refuse approval of the Minister of Culture for the project for a building above the archeology of Ponedelnik market of businessman Dimitar Georgiev. The Ministry’s lawyers have a one-month deadline to rule on the case, subject to compliance with the mandatory instructions given by the court for the interpretation and application of the law. The Office must pay the applicant’s costs.

We remind you that for years, Georgiev, through various architects, has been trying to prepare a project and successfully coordinate it through the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage and the Specialized Expert Council for the Protection of Immovable Cultural Values ​​under the Minister of Culture.

The tension escalated last year, when on May 9, after a nearly 3-hour meeting, SESONCC issued an opinion based on which the Minister of Culture refused to approve the project.

At the meeting itself, the experts examined the project of arch. Stefan Dobrev for a change in the Detailed Development Plan of the property with archeology next to Monday Market. Violent clashes took place after the head of the “Real Cultural Heritage” department in the Ministry of Culture arch. Darina Dimitrova announced that the point should not be considered at all, since SESONCC has already issued a negative opinion.

“You know, this site was considered at two previous meetings of the SESONCC and is a site of great importance because of the archaeological real values. At both meetings, the council gave a negative opinion. However, it was not agreed by the director of the “Cultural Heritage, Museums and Fine Arts” Directorate, Ekaterina Djumalieva. It has not been signed by the relevant deputy minister Assoc Dr. Plamen Slavov. Obviously, the private interest is very important to be served in the specific case, since the project proposal is included for a third consideration at the current session of the SESONCC instead of issuing a negative opinion according to the requirements of Art. 84 of the Civil Code. This is happening after a meeting with the Minister of Culture, Nayden Todorov, and a letter from him to review the project again by May 10, because that was promised at the meeting. I think the situation in which we are placed as experts and as members of SESONCC is absolutely outrageous. Even if this project is considered today, what is the situation? It has been examined twice with two negative opinions. What is expected now – to give a positive? And what will be the opinion of the Ministry of Culture after two negative and one positive opinion”, Dimitrova said then.

Regardless of her opinion, the experts considered the item “Amendment of the Detailed Development Plan – Regulation and Development Plan, Working Development Plan and Volumetric Urban Planning Study for the Construction of an Administrative Public Building” on the agenda, the authors of the project presented it again.

“The change in the PUP is not in accordance with the new General Development Plan, voted at the end of 2022 by the Municipal Council of Plovdiv. Colleagues from the design team present some new visualizations and claim that they have made corrections, taking into account the requirements for building density, cornice elevation, landscaping, but this is not reflected in the PUP and RUP. In both documents there are contradictions with the new OEP. Volumetric studies and visualizations also do not meet the parameters specified in the PUP. We suggest that it should not be considered”, commented arch. Martin Hristov from the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria. This was also confirmed by the expert in the Municipality of Plovdiv arch. Plamena Andonova.

In the end, the SESONCC came up with a decision that the project should be considered again, but before that it should go through the NINKN. The project should be accompanied by an analysis of the state of the archaeological cultural monument, and the PUP and RUP of the site should be brought in line with the norms in the new General Development Plan of Plovdiv.

Based on this decision, the Minister of Culture issued the negative opinion. However, it is not accompanied by reasons to indicate what the designers should remove, and thus the norm prescribed by law was violated and substantial procedural violations of regulations and the law were committed.

After the scandalous meeting arch. Darina Dimitrova left the Ministry of Culture.