The municipal construction committee accepted on October 10 changes to the city planning proposed by Sofia's chief architect Petar Dikov. On October 11, in its last meeting before the municipal elections, Sofia's city council would vote on the proposals.

The time for public debate about the plans, which involve changes of destination for over 3 500 hectare of the municipality, was 23 hours, mediapool.bg said.

If the municipality would accept the proposals, they would be sent to the Council of Ministers for approval.

The changes proposed did not reflect any of the priorities of the city council, mediapool.bg said. There was no increase of green zones in the city, no new transport routes to the centre, no bicycle lanes or pedestrian zones.
Instead, 10 residential complexes and five logistical centres would be added to the city.

The largest piece of land to change destination in the new plans was 1000 hectares under Kremikovtsi. Its new function was described as long-term mixed multi-functional zone. "This would stimulate the discontinuation of the metallurgical plant on the territory of the municipality," the plans said.

Five zones, currently marked as industrial would have their destination changed to residential, these include the Northern industrial zone near the central station, and industrial zones Orion, Zaharna Fabrika, Sredets, Hladilnika and Izgrev. These industrial zones total some 350 hectare.
The proposed changes were motivated with the argument that industrial functionality did no longer belong in these parts of the city.

Some 60 hectare currently in use by the army has been marked for construction of complexes for the local and central administration.

The proposals included allowing construction in parks, mediapool.bg said. Zapaden park (West Park) would loose part of its green zone north of the Syhodolska river to residential construction. Yuzjniya park (South Park) would loose 3 000 sq m to a sports hall and Vuzrazjdane park would disappear as a park.

Around park Iskar a sport zone was planned, marked for "investment purposes". These changes in the plans would legalise the currently illegal constructions on the territory of this park, mediapool.bg said.

Deputy president of the committee for construction, architect Borislav Borisov said he would demand clear guarantees from the municipal council that laws would be respected. Furtile agricultural land would not change its destination and an ecological assessment of the entire project would be done, mediapool.bg quoted him as saying.