The new construction of properties in Bulgaria in major cities will continue to accelerate

Sofia reinforces its position as a center of housing construction, and Plovdiv - the industrial one.
The new construction in the big cities of the country will continue to accelerate but at a more sustainable pace, according to the National Statistical Institute (NSI) data for the issued building permits and the new construction started in the first quarter of the year.
The capital Sofia and the districts of Plovdiv and Varna are the most active centers for housing construction. At the same time, in Varna and Burgas there is a strong growth of the construction of the so-called "other buildings" in which the industrial properties are included.
As a whole, the construction of offices remains concentrated in the capital, according to NSI data.

Regarding the already started construction of new buildings, Plovdiv has for the time being retained the crown of the busiest construction site in the country thanks mainly to construction in the sphere of industry. Sofia is second, but the capital is the leader in terms of housing.

Housing construction
In Bulgaria, permits for construction of new residential buildings and dwellings in Bulgaria declined in the first quarter of the year compared to the last one last year. The tendency is common - the last quarter is typically the most active in both transactions and in the preparation of startup documents.
On an annual basis however, the issued permits for construction of new residential buildings increased by 10.1%, the dwellings in them - by 36.6% and their built-up area was by 17% more.

In Sofia, the permits for construction of new residential buildings increased by 13% on an annual basis and on housing by almost 20%. In Plovdiv, building permits remain relatively stable compared to the same period of the previous year, but homes have increased by 65%, i. e. smaller apartments are being built. Similar is the trend in Varna, where the growth rate of issued building permits for new residential buildings is considerably lower than housing growth - 12% and 73.4% respectively.
Only in Burgas region there is a decrease in the issued building permits and in the newly built construction due to the delay of the holiday segment in the region.

Construction of offices and industrial buildings
Plovdiv region remains the most active building center for industrial buildings, although the pace is slowing slightly in the first quarter, at least in terms of issued building permits. However, the construction that started in the segment continues to show strong growth.
As a whole, the construction of offices is concentrated in the capital. For the quarter there is a decrease of 18% of the issued building permits, but on an annual basis the growth is double.
However, a double decline in the number of buildings for which a building permit was issued was recorded in Varna.

It is noteworthy that there is a boom in the construction of industrial buildings in the districts of Varna and Burgas, where the increase of the issued permits is reported by 1.5 times and 55% respectively.