Sun, Nov 08 2009
Bulgaria's capital experienced a real boom in the sphere of commercial complex construction in 2006, Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported.
The newspaper said that four new retail centres opened doors in 2006 and 11 malls are still under construction.
The report also mentions Sofia's problems with the lack of proper infrastructure, public transport and refuse collection systems.
After the country's European Union (EU) accession Sofia prepares itself to reach the level of large European capitals but the city still fails meeting European standards in the real estate sector, the report said.
Sofia mayor Boiko Borisov said that the city's new zoning plan envisions more green areas. The plan also sets the zones intended to include only residential buildings.
The sphere of residential construction experiences an intensive development as 10 new complexes are in the process of being completed, mainly in the outskirts of Sofia.
Office rent transactions peaked at 65 000 sq m between July and September 2008, but collapsed to 10 700 sq m in Q3 2009, Forton manager Sergei Koinov said.
Most potential buyers are now opting to buy a luxury flat in the range of 120 000 to 150 000 euro or a single family home for about 500 000 euro.
About 30 000 to 35 000 people employed in the construction sector were facing redundancies in 2010, Bulgaria's Regional Development Minister Rossen Plevneliev said on October 26.
Average market prices of housing in Bulgaria dropped five per cent in July-September, measured quarter-on-quarter, the National Statistical Institute said on October 23 2009.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has released a 43.5 million euro loan to Sofia Municipality, for infrastructure projects worth 88.1 million euro in total