News and Articles related to City of Sofia
Current date: 2010-02-09 10:26

Мore building permits issued for smaller home units

Bulgaria’s statistical office recorded more building permits issued in the second quarter of the year but for smaller home units compared with the first quarter. The number of new permits rose by 24.6% to 1,832 from January to March but plunged by 61.4% against a year ago.

Built-up area contracted by 28.8%, accommodating 31% fewer homes. The largest number of residential properties are due to spring up in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas.

Building permits for administrative projects for the second quarter were flat from the first, totaling 79, the National Statistical Office (NSI) said. Again, built-up space declined by 33.4% and experts predict some office projects planned before the crisis erupted could be scaled down.

The southern city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second largest, will host the most new administrative buildings -- 13 -- spanning slightly over 6,000 square metres in total. The municipal authorities in Dobrich have issued 11 permits for business projects with a combined area of more than 10,000 sq m. Sofia will be home to six new administrative buildings spread on just over 1,000 sq m combined.

At the start of the summer, the NSI published its new home construction figures for January to March, which saw 3,897 flats and 547 buildings come to completion. The bulk of them were located in Varna and Bourgas. Stara Zagora and Kyustendil regions saw not a single completed housing project. Homes finished in the first quarter of the year were 42.8% fewer than in the final quarter of 2008.