Bulgarian PM Borisov Ordered not to Permit Construction of a Park near the Center of Plovdiv

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov personally went to calm down the organisers of a three-month protest by the residents of Plovdiv's Karshiyaka district against the intention of a private investor to build on 16 decares of green space behind the St. Petersburg Hotel, near the city center. PM Borisov was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev and the Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov.

At his meeting with the unhappy residents of Plovdiv on Monday, Borisov announced that he had ordered the mayor of the town Ivan Totev and the district governor Zdravko Dimitrov to leave the terrain to remain a park and be landscaped. His words were met with applause.

"In the plan of Plovdiv, this is green, there is a park so that who wants to buy a park are nice private parks, which I have ordered, it will be green!", Declared the prime minister.

He has instructed the state and municipal authorities to solve the problem of the terrain, which is currently a large tree-lined garden. It is 16 acres and has been purchased by an individual with the intention of building on it.

Regional mayor Ralio Ralev also assured the citizens that a building permit will not be given to the landowner Byyram Solak.

The initiative committee on the protection of the green area said they would attend the upcoming municipal session to protect the park.

Boyko Borisov explained that Mayor Ivan Totev was not present at the meeting because he is currently in important negotiations, to which he will join, the Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev and the Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov. Borisov announced that if the talks are successful, the construction of the Ring Road in Plovdiv immediately begins.