Greece’s flagship privatization of the former Athens international airport in the area of Helliniko along the Athens Riviera has received a fresh blow after a group of citizens and several legal entities appealed to Council of State demanding the revoke of the relevant presidential decree. The appeal is expected to delay the project from getting off the ground.
More than five hundred citizens and four legal entities have requested that the presidential decree is revoked on grounds of unconstitutionality. The groups cite environmental risks and possible degradation of the quality of life in the area. One of the arguments raised is that the project provides for the construction of thousands of homes, leading to thousands of new residents who will create an unsustainable new “city within the city” in Athens.
The appeal has been filed by 507 residents of the four municipalities where the project will be extended as well as by the Greek Network for Nature, the Architects Association-Attica Region, the Citizens Association of Lower Elliniko and the Institute for Sustainable Production.
In their petition, they say the project irreversibly damages their quality of life and the natural environment of the area, since it creates a new city within the densely populated urban fabric of Athens, which can exceed 44,000 inhabitants, with a building factor increased by 70% and allows the creation of 3 new tourist zones of a total area of 1,092 acres.
They say that the principle of sustainable development (Article 24 of the Constitution) is breached, as the tolerable limits of the carrying capacity of the Attica Basin and the balance between structured and unstructured communal areas have been exceeded.
Two months after the Council of State – Greece’s highest court – approved a presidential decree paving the way for construction work to get underway at the site, the privatization plan will return to the top court as a result of an appear filed by residents of the area.
The previous Council of State ruling had examined some of the points made by citizens in this latest appeal, deeming that there are no issues with the project, nor its environmental impact. It had also said that the project is both legal and constitutional.
The privatization of the old airport plot is key to the completion of Greece’s bailout program as it is one of the largest investments to be made in the country. It was one of creditors’ preconditions for the conclusion of the 3. review of the Greek program.
However, it has been met with opposition by residents, archeological bodies and some opposition parties, while it has also hit countless bureaucratic obstacles. There have also been delays due to public investment and development laws.
Before the latest appeal, the government had been at the stage of issuing joint ministerial decisions on construction and development zone issues.
Last week, the CEO of Lamda Development, Odysseas Athanasiou, the major investor of Hellinikon Project had expressed optimism that project works could kick off in 2019
The 8-billion-euro redevelopment project of investor Hellinikon Global – a consortium of Lamda Development, Fosun and Eagle Hills – will transform Athens’ former airport into a metropolitan park and includes the development of hotels, shopping centers, open-air cultural venues, residential areas and a casino.