Μake us preferred on Google Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet with six mayors from Athens’ northern suburbs on Monday, Nov. 16, following mounting opposition to a government proposal that could allow significantly more construction in some of the capital’s most expensive residential neighborhoods. The six municipalities involved are Lykovrysi-Pefki, Kifisia, Nea Ionia, Papagou-Cholargou, Filothei-Psychiko and Chalandri. Senior officials from the Environment and Energy Ministry will also be in attendance.
The mayors were invited Thursday, just hours after sending a joint letter to Mitsotakis demanding that the government withdraw an environmental impact study underpinning the proposal and draw up a new plan. At the center of the dispute is a planning mechanism that would allow additional construction in designated areas through the transfer of unused development rights from other properties.
The government argues that the system is needed to compensate owners of listed buildings, historic properties and land subject to archaeological or other restrictions that prevent them from fully exercising their development rights.
The mayors do not dispute the need for such compensation. They argue, however, that the solution should not involve allowing more construction in already densely developed neighborhoods struggling with traffic, limited parking and pressure on public infrastructure, or in protected garden suburbs such as Filothei and Psychiko, where strict planning rules are intended to preserve their low-rise residential character.
How Much Additional Construction Could Be Allowed?
At the center of the dispute are proposed development rights receiving zones, designated areas where property owners could be allowed to build beyond existing limits by acquiring unused development rights from other properties. The environmental impact study for northern Athens identifies the potential for up to 584,400 square meters of additional construction.
The six mayors argue that the actual figure could be substantially higher. Their interpretation of the study’s calculations puts the potential additional floor space at 793,546 square meters, raising questions about how the available development capacity was assessed. They also dispute the inclusion of properties owned by the state, public agencies and the National Defense Ministry in the calculations.
In their letter to Mitsotakis, the mayors contend that the studies fail to adequately assess how additional construction would affect local roads, parking, infrastructure and the environment. The implications are particularly significant for neighborhoods where existing planning restrictions have helped preserve a predominantly low-rise residential character.
Government Seeks to Ease Concerns
The government has sought to reassure local authorities that no final decisions have been made and that the proposed zoning changes remain subject to public consultation.
Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said Thursday that the government’s stated policy is not to allow development rights to be transferred from one municipality to another. Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis also said no final decisions would be made without consulting mayors and local communities.
Deputy Environment Minister Marilena Soukouli went further, acknowledging that the studies could contain errors or omissions and suggesting that some areas might ultimately be excluded. “There may be mistakes,” she said. “Nothing has been enacted. Nothing is set in stone.” Soukouli said the government had opted for the longest possible public consultation period to allow time for any errors to be identified. The government’s assurances have done little to quell opposition from the six mayors, who continue to demand that the study be withdrawn rather than amended.
The proposal also carries significant financial implications for the real estate market, as it could create valuable new development rights in some of Attica’s most expensive residential neighborhoods.
Opposition Spreads Beyond Six Municipalities
The dispute is drawing a wider response from local government officials across Attica, the greater Athens region. On Friday, Nov. 13, Giorgos Markopoulos, mayor of Galatsi and president of the Regional Union of Municipalities of Attica, called a meeting of mayors to coordinate their response ahead of Monday’s talks with Mitsotakis.
The dispute is particularly awkward for the government, as some of the mayors challenging the proposal have close ties to the governing New Democracy party.
In Filothei-Psychiko, the municipal council unanimously voted to demand that the study be withdrawn or that the municipality be excluded from the proposed changes. All political groups on the council backed the resolution, citing estimates that the plan could allow an additional 34,313 square meters of construction across the municipality’s three districts.
The dispute comes after a separate controversy over the New Building Code (NOK), which offered developers incentives to build beyond existing limits. The government now faces another confrontation with local authorities over how much construction should be permitted in residential neighborhoods.
More Building Plans Await Publication
The government’s plans to allow taller buildings extend beyond Athens’ northern suburbs. It has also published 13 other studies outlining proposed changes to building rules in different parts of Greece, all of which are buinow subject to public consultation. More are expected to follow.
But nearly a week after the first batch was published, the Environment Ministry has yet to release the next set, amid growing opposition to the proposals. It remains unclear whether the ministry will stick to its original timetable or reconsider its plans before publishing further studies.
Source: OT.gr
