About 15 hotel owners in the Bulgarian coastal resort of Sunny Beach have voiced concerns about supposed plans to re-zone about 50 hectares of sand dunes designated for protection under the Natura 2000 programme.

The owners have asked the Regional Development and Public Works and Environment and Water Affairs ministries and Parliament for more information on the current status of the dunes, according to Dnevnik daily.

They also demand to know whether plans are underway to redefine their status from public state property to public private property.

This change in status would open a loophole for commercial development of the dunes.

Private businesses in the resort plan to found a civic movement to protect dunes, which are part of the Aheloy-Ravda-Nesebar protected area.