Sofia Partly Moves Away from the Strict Advertising Rules

Sofia Municipality is about to retreat from the strict rules on movable objects and ads, which voted only four months ago. The reason is that the text of the ordinance for this area is now seen on part of the municipal councilors too restrictive. That is why they have introduced new changes to the text in the Sofia Municipal Council, reports Mediapool. 

They concern two main reasons not to place showcase windows, refrigerators, grills and the like in front of shops and kiosks, as well as the affixing of company and signboards. Putting refrigerators, freezers and grills on the pavements in front of the shops was banned by the municipal councilors only a few months ago. The motive was - a cleaner visual urban environment and fewer hurdles for pedestrians. It is now proposed that this ban be valid only for the city center but not for the rest of it, as it is too restrictive for business, writes in the motives for amending the rules.

The other change concerns the ban on affixing company information signs in the city. It also aimed to visually clear the environment, overwhelmed by company signs. However, this will only happen in the historic city center, where advertising is also prohibited. In the remaining places, there will be no change if the amendments to the Ordinance are introduced.

The new proposals do not concern a problem for which Mayor Yordanka Fandakova has returned the order for a new discussion in the summer. The problem was that this ordinance also increased the pavement fees that traders pay for table-laying in front of cafes and restaurants. This affects mostly neighborhood owners who have to pay prices like the downtown restaurants. Currently, the old prices for so-called sidewalks are paid. They will remain until the city's...