Dispute over a piece of property in the center of Sofia between the streets "G. S. Rakovski", "Gen. Joseph V. Gurko" and "Ivan Vazov" arose between the Military Information Center of the Ministry of Defense and a company related to Ivo Ivanov and Dimitar Borisov, owners of the garbage collection company "Titan", reported "Dnevnik".
They have decided to demolish a terrace, part of the information center building, arguing that it encroaches on their property. In March, the company ("Krasi - S" EOOD) notified the Minister of Defense (at that time still Todor Tagarev) in writing that on April 20 they would remove the "illegal structure-podium".
"The so-called "podium" it is actually a reinforced concrete terrace, an integral part of the building of the Military Information Center", explained its deputy director Toma Ivanov to "Dnevnik". The military has been renting the terrace for years for the popular summer establishment "Beach Bar". Now a new establishment is being prepared at this location by the private owners of the property.
The military responded to the demolition letter with letters to DNSK and to the chief architect of the Metropolitan Municipality, Zdravko Zdravkov, warning that the building is a strategic site of the Ministry of Defense "with optical cable lines built for permanent connection with key departments and with our diplomatic missions in foreign countries". Much of the communication links are encrypted, the military added. Years ago, the building was temporarily also a NATO information center.
It was built in the 70s as a restaurant "Seagull" (the garden around it bears the same name), called by the people of Sofia "The Home of the Deceased". Since then, only the facade has been reconstructed, said Toma Ivanov. He explains this to clarify that the disputed terrace was not added later. The building was transferred by the Metropolitan Municipality to the Ministry of Defense in 1988 in exchange for the then-existing "Bamboo" to the National Theatre.
In July 2005, the regional governor of Sofia, Rosen Vladimirov (DPS), sold a 1.55-acre state plot of land between the Military Information Center (then of NATO) and "Ivan Vazov" Street.
"In my opinion, when this property was bought through the regional administration of Sofia, a mistake was made and part of ours was described in the features of the neighboring one - this 120 square meter terrace,", suggests Toma Ivanov.
In the property of the owners of "Titan" the construction of a new outdoor establishment is already underway, and the construction site was fenced off.
Ivo Ivanov and Dimitar Borisov have been preparing the construction of a five-story building for a bank office on the property they own through the company "A-Trade 3000" for several years. Ltd. (both it and "Krasi - C" are owned by "Nelsen - Purity" Ltd. - part of "Titan International Holding"). It is at the other end of the garden - where is the garden of the "Blue Lion" restaurant.