Outrageous: Regional Environmental Inspectorate Allows Huge Camping Site on Wild Beach without Eco Assessment

A luxury camping for 1,860 people with bungalows, villas, pools, bars, restaurants, streets, and numerous parking lots will be built on the wild Bulgarian beach “Karadere” without the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), according to the conclusion reached on October 10, 2014, by the Regional Directorate of Environment and Waters (RIEW) in the Black Sea city of Burgas. The decision was signed by its Director, Antoniy Ivanov.

The investor in the camping is the company “Maxi I”, which earlier this year bought a plot of 165.5 decares on the beach “Karadere” for only 1.66 million levs from The Black Sea Property Fund. The same decision of the Regional Inspectorate shows that the properties are regulated and permits for the construction on them of hotels and buildings for seasonal use have already been issued.

The terrain, on which “Maxi I” wants to build, is located within the eco network Natura 2000 “Kamchiyska Mountain” BG0002044 for conservation of wild birds and in protected area “Beach Shkorpilovtsi” BG000100 for conservation of natural habitats and wild flora and fauna. Nearby, there are also emerging and shifting dunes with code 2110. In this sense, the decision that there is no need for EIA causes at the least some confusion. A more detailed study of the situation shows that

RIEW grounds its decision on an illegal PUP, stopped by MEW, and referred to the prosecution

The future camping site is planned on a territory unintended for construction in the General Development Plan (OUP) of the municipality of the town of Byala, funded by the World Bank in 1997. In 2004, the PUP “Byala North” was adopted without an environmental assessment and in violation of the Environmental Protection Act. Because of the offense, RIEW referred this PUP to the prosecution. The building permits, cited by Antoniy Ivanov in his current decision, have been issued on the basis of this faulty PUP.

РИОСВ-Бургас информира, че Община Бяла не е поискала екологична оценка за ПУП “Бяла Север”

MEW, during the term in office of Minister NonaKaradjova, has also issued a decision. In 2009, she stopped an amendment to the Territorial Development Plan (TUP), which also provided to have construction there.

Нона Караджова спира екологичната оценка и ОВОС за “Бяла Север”

“It is outrageous that RIEW Burgas is now referring precisely to this PUP, which is illegal and investigated by the prosecution,” commented for Bivol eco activist Thomas Belev.

Expect further details

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