A joint operation by the police and the Municipality of Varna revealed a large illegal construction in the area of “Baba Alino“, where dozens of buildings have been built on about 100 acres without the necessary permits. According to data from the institutions, there are about 104 buildings, some of which are multi-family, as well as a large number of single-family houses.
Construction has been stopped, and inspections have been carried out on site by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the municipal authorities. There are also detainees, and the area is currently under increased police surveillance to prevent the activities from continuing.
On the air of “Hello, Bulgaria“ on Nova TV, the mayor of Varna Blagomir Kotsev confirmed the scale of the illegal construction found. According to him, the territory covers about 100 acres of land, including forest areas where the activity was partially concealed.
“We are talking about about 104 buildings, most of which are single-family houses, but there are also multi-family properties“, Kotsev pointed out, adding that in the past years inspections were carried out and acts were drawn up, but construction continued despite them.
According to the municipality, no building permits were issued for the site, and all attempts to present documents were unsuccessful. In the period 2024-2025, acts were issued to establish illegal construction and felling of trees, but the activities were not terminated in a timely manner.
The mayor also commented on the investor's claims that the project has a public and economic benefit, emphasizing that the law must be respected and such actions cannot be tolerated. “There are laws in Bulgaria and they must be respected”, said Kotsev, adding that the municipality will continue the procedures until acts are issued to remove the illegal buildings.
According to him, the next administrative steps are already being prepared, which include comprehensive documentation of the violations and the initiation of a procedure for the demolition of the construction. He specified that the final phase will be the removal of illegal buildings in accordance with the law.
The mayor also commented on allegations of possible institutional protection, stating that such a scale of construction would be difficult to implement without “support at a higher level“, referring to possible dependencies outside the local government.
The mayor also commented on the role of SANS, indicating that in 2025 the institution was referred to information and documents related to the construction and the acts issued by the municipality. He added that the subsequent actions of the service were not clear after that, and that he could not comment on specific decisions of its leadership.
Regarding the individuals detained in the operation, Kotsev stated that mainly workers were checked on site, and at the moment there is no information on the whereabouts of the investors associated with the project.
The municipality also announced that the area remains under surveillance, as construction activities have been resumed in previous periods without the presence of police or municipal security.
The topic also raised questions about the status of the land, as it became clear that the territory does not have a detailed development plan and is still part of a forest fund, which further hinders any legal construction. The authorities are continuing the checks, and the case is expected to develop with subsequent administrative and possibly legal actions.