site.btaFire Destroys 1,500 sq m of the Former Royal Mews' Roof in Sofia

Sofia, July 29 (BTA) - A fire has destroyed around 1,500 sq m of the roof of a prime location lot in the capital, known as "the Royal Mews", the Interior Ministry reported Sunday.

The fire was reported at 3:25 am on Sunday and was extinguished by 6:00 am. The damages are yet to be assessed. There is no information about an arson, the Ministry reported.

Sofia Municipality issued a press release later on Sunday, saying that it will oblige the owner of "the Royal Mews" to restore the buildings to their original appearance.

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova formed an expert commission with representatives of the Municipality's Arhictecture and Urban Planning Directorate and from Sofia's Oborishte District, which can assess the damages and oblige the buildings' owner to restore them to their original appearance, the press release said.

With the adoption of the detailed development plan for Sofia's Centre-Zone A back in 2015, the buildings were deemded of high historical value, despite not being designated a cultural monument. According to the plan, no construction or additions to the existing buildings is permitted. Only restoration and conservation works are allowed. This is the reason for Sofia's Chief Architect to refuse the owner a construction permit in 2017.

Fandakova has asked the Culture Ministry to declare "the Royal Mews" buildings a cultural monument with the highest degree of protection, the press release recalls.

Back in the autumn of 2016, the Sofia City Prosecution Office charged former Sofia regional governor Vesselin Penev with causing the public purse to lose 11,126,130 leva as a result of three disadvantageous deals plus 116,216 leva due to mismanagement in the period from December 30, 2015 to April 26, 2016.

Penev resigned as regional governor of Sofia in September after Prime Minister Boyko Borissov asked the prosecuting magistracy to check a deal in which a prime location lot in the capital, known as "The Royal Mews", was sold to estate agent Evrotransbild for 658,870 leva, or just 90 leva per square metre. Charges were also pressed back then against licensed appraiser Yulia Dimitrova-Tsekova for making an untrue appraisal and conclusion to determine the market value of appraised real estate which constitutes private state property. The property with an area of 7,500 square metres was once used as a garage by the royal family.