A Government centre will be built on the area near the fourth km of the Tsarigradsko Chaussee Boulevard, known as the Poligona ("the range") neighbourhood, the Cabinet decided at its July 17 session.

The land plot, used in the past to house a military unit and its barracks, is state property and is managed by the Bulgarian Defense Ministry. The Government centre would spread on 60ha, Defence Minister Nikolai Tsonev said after the Cabinet meeting, as quoted by Dnevnik daily. The initial plans envisions the construction of administrative buildings, hotels, residences for diplomats and sports centres.

Bulgaria's Regional Development Minister Assen Gagaouzov has been charged to call a limited public procurement tender to pick the architectural design of the future government complex by the end of July.

After interested parties have registered their intention to participate in the tender, the ministry would pick up to six design firms to develop and present their conceptual models, which would be put up for public debate, the Cabinet press-service said in a media statement.

The winner of the contest would be picked by an international jury by the end of December 2008.

Ten months ago, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev first introduced the project, which was widely reported at the time to be the brainchild of his brother, architect Georgii Stanishev.

Meant to be carried out as public-private partnership, the Government would seek investors that would fund the costs of the project. Instead, the investors would be given the right to build offices and shopping centres on sections of the same plot.

Media speculation claimed that Georgii Stanishev has invited British architect Sir Norman Foster as a consultant. Foster and Georgii Stanishev already work together on the Black Sea Gardens residential village project, which has proved to be very controversial with Bulgarian environmentalists despite the designers' claims that it would be "carbon-neutral".