Overdevelopment in Sofia Under Scrutiny: New Chief Architect to Review Hundreds of Projects for Legal Violations

The newly appointed Chief Architect of Sofia, Bogdana Panayotova, is taking urgent measures to address the process of issuing construction permits in an effort to halt the excessive overdevelopment in the Bulgarian capital. Hundreds of projects will undergo revision for potential legal violations in their documentation. High-rise buildings, in particular, will be subjected to special scrutiny.

Regarding the controversial “Golden Century” skyscraper project in the Lozenets district, Architect Panayotova commented that although the building’s construction papers were approved unlawfully, they have entered into legal force, which makes the ongoing construction technically lawful.

Bogdana Panayotova, Chief Architect of Sofia: “This Golden Century building was never truly and effectively halted in a way that would be upheld by judicial authorities. What people were led to believe for years—that construction had been stopped—was never true.”

“Strangely enough, what’s positive, if one can call it that, is that at least the building will not stand as an empty shell—it will be completed," she added.