TIM Unwavering in Construction Plans for Varna's Seaside Park

In September, 2009, Holding Varna announced they have collected 42 000signatures from local residents favoring the “Alley One” construction project. Photo by BGNES

Holding Varna, part of the TIM business group, will apply once again with Bulgaria's Regional Ministry to begin construction works on the so-called “Alley One” in the Black Sea city's park known as the “Maritime Garden.”

The Holding announced the information during a special Monday press conference, reiterating they are ready to begin the stabilization of the terrain by October 1 as long as they receive the necessary permits by then.

The company recently made the same announcement, but on June 9, the Varna Regional Directorate for Construction Control responded they were halting the controversial construction because the Varna City Hall had violated the law by issuing building permits for beach-front construction. The permits are deemed illegal because they have been granted without preliminary approved projects for the buildings and permits for stabilizing the landslides and for the draining of the terrain.

The Holding's management presented Monday an engineering and geologic study prepared for them, which shows the terrain is stable and there isn't any danger of landslides, but it must be drained since underground waters are eating the rock.

After the draining the terrain will be afforested the company informed, vowing not to begin construction before the land is stable.

In the beginning of June, the Varna City Hall announced their decision to give rights for the construction of 5 buildings along the beach-front alley to “Holding Varna,” which is a company belonging to the murky, surrounded by secrecy and legends, business group TIM.

The move stirred outrage among local residents and several NGOs, involved in the battle to preserve Varna's beautiful park.

Varna's Chief Architect, Petar Yordanov, insists the Regional Ministry had given them the go ahead to issue the building permits under the condition the construction would not begin before the landslides in the area are stabilized, something Regional Minister, Rosen Plevneliev, firmly denies.

In response to Plevneliev, the Mayor of Varna, Kiril Yordanov, distributed on June 4 an open letter to the media, insisting the authorization in question had been personally signed by Minister Plevneliev on January 25, 2010.

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