Alleged Illegal Settlement Near Varna: Developer and Property Owners Ready to Defend Their Interests

Tensions around the illegal town near Varna are rising. Those living there who have property documents are organising to defend their interests. In the meantime, the Varna Directorate for Construction Supervision confirmed that they too have received reports of illegal logging and construction, and this as early as two years ago. The reports were subsequently forwarded to the Municipality of Varna and the Primorski district administration.. It remains unclear to whom the residents of the complex have paid electricity and water bills.

Clarifying the issue of illegal infrastructure is seen as a key part of the investigation, which could shed light on how the settlement was supplied with utilities, as residents have presented receipts for paid bills. The most likely scenario is that supply was provided through the construction of an internal network, suggested Eng. Kiril Moskov, director of the construction control authority in Varna.

There are one or three buildings that have batch numbers for water, one or several of them may have been used as a source for water supply. Another former holiday base, on the other hand, has a transformer substation that could supply the whole area with electricity. Eng. Moskov confirmed that the issue of electricity and water falls within the competence of the respective utility companies, while the overall problem must be resolved by the Municipality of Varna.

Eng. Kiril Moskov, Director of the Regional Directorate for National Construction Control – Varna: “Based on our findings, we have sent a letter informing the competent authority – the Municipality of Varna – that the construction works being carried out, at varying stages of completion, are low-category developments and therefore fall under its jurisdiction.

“We have received reports from citizens, as well as from various institutions, which we have consistently checked and, where appropriate, have notified the competent authority – the Municipality of Varna.”

Further complaints are expected to be filed in the coming days, this time by residents of the settlement.

Property owners, together with KYB Corporation, are planning to organise a joint effort to protect their interests. The developer and purchasers intend to act collectively, potentially challenging proposals and decisions to demolish the buildings.

Alexander Alexandrov, property owner: “When I purchased the property, the documents presented to me, including the certificate of tolerance, were entirely in order and fully lawful.

“Certificates assigning administrative addresses have also been issued, which means that all these residents went to the police, registered their addresses, and the police confirmed the existence of these buildings.

“Waste collection services for the area have also been registered with the Municipality of Varna.”

Stefan Zhelezov, property owner: “I checked the records at the Registry Agency. There is a long history associated with the property – it is an old site – and there are no concerns there regarding this complex.

“The state cannot now simply turn a blind eye and pretend that all of this could have come into existence without the active involvement of public authorities.”

Questions surrounding the case continue to outnumber the answers. Only once all the available information has been gathered may it become possible to establish the most important point of all – who is responsible for what has happened and for what continues to happen.