Bucharest mayor claims urban planning document for most expensive land in the city is illegal

Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan claims that the City Council passed an illegal decision with the aim of allowing the owner of a plot of land in the most exquisite residential area in Bucharest, Primaverii Avenue No.1, to build in an area otherwise declared green and banned for development. Namely, he challenges the urban planning document (PUZ) recently issued by the City Council.

The owner of the land is the real estate developer Hagag, according to Economica.net.

Mayor Dan said that he notified the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and the construction inspectorate, but also explained that he has his hands tied: the mayor can not challenge in court the Council’s decisions. However, he stressed that he could be fined if he refuses to issue the building permit based on what he claims to be an illegal PUZ.

“I notified the DNA, the State Construction Inspectorate and the Prefect for the flagrant illegality of PUZ Primaverii 1, which provides for building on land designated as a [protected] green area under the [previous document] ‘PUZ Construite Zone Protejate’. It is a gift of over EUR 3 mln made to the owner of the land,” he stated.

The real estate developer Hagag paid EUR 8 mln for the 1,400 sqm plot of land (resulting in a price of almost 6,000 euros/sqm) - the most expensive land sold in Bucharest after 2008. It announced that it is investing over EUR 20 mln in the residential building it will build on this land.

The company did not specify whether the investment in the project also included the cost of land acquisition.

(Photo source: Facebook/Nicusor Dan)