Sozopol Municipality Takes Measures Against Street Pollution from Construction Machinery

In connection with the ongoing pollution of the streets in Sozopol by construction machinery, an inspection of the condition of the construction sites in the “Mesari” and “Sveta Marina” areas was carried out, and the construction sites were inspected.

It was established that within the scope of the construction sites, no conditions have been created for cleaning the machinery before leaving the road network, as is mandatory in the approved projects under the “Safety and Health Plan” /PBZ/.

In general, alternative measures are not implemented in order to maintain the streets in a normal condition, such as: making crushed stone approaches, assigning a group of construction workers to wash the tires of the trucks and periodically clean the streets in a suitable place outside the construction sites.

There is a systematic violation of an essential requirement for construction and installation works, as stated in the Law on Spatial Planning, namely - that constructions should not be a source of excessive pollution.

The covering of asphalt pavements with mud, on the scale in which it is currently being carried out, involves not only the Municipality in additional and unjustified expenses for cleaning the streets, but the owners of land properties and vehicles are obliged to wash the cars, fences, and facades etc. polluted by the surrounding buildings.

In view of the need for effective measures to stop the pollution, after several attempts by the Municipal Administration, expressed in written and verbal warnings, the organized meeting to discuss the problem, and the imposed administrative penalties on several Builders, I draw your attention to the following:

The violation of the basic requirements for buildings, as described in Art. 169, para. 1 and para. 3 of the Law on Spatial Planning / for hygiene, health, and the environment / is grounds for issuing an order under Art. 224a of the same Law to stop the construction.

Construction, stopped with such an order, can only continue after written permission from the body that issued it, after eliminating the causes that led to its suspension.

In view of the above:

1. It is necessary to immediately wash the asphalt pavements polluted by you.
2. I inform you, on the basis of Art. 26, para. 1 of the Administrative Procedure Code, that the Municipality of Sozopol is starting administrative proceedings for the issuance of orders to stop the construction of any construction site that is a source of pollution. The lack of organization of the construction site and around it for washing the machinery is sufficient grounds to determine a given construction as a source of pollution, regardless of whether a specific case of a truck or other equipment with muddy tires coming out onto the street network is established or not.

                     After stopping the activity in all sources of pollution in the mentioned manner, the Municipality of Sozopol will clean the streets, and the work on the buildings will only be able to be resumed after the issuance of a permit order, preceded by a finding of strict and unconditional bringing of the construction site in accordance with the provisions of the approved “Safety and Health Plan”. The lack of technical possibility to implement the approved PBZ will not be a prerequisite for exception.

TIHOMIR YANAKIEV             Mayor of Sozopol Municipality