Greece’s top court, the Council of State, has ordered a freeze on the construction of two new hotels across the street from the National Archaeological Museum in downtown Athens.
The decision follows a complaint lodged by the Elliniki Etairia Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage and 23 individuals concerning the size of the hotels.
According to daily kathimerini, the complaint argues that the licenses violate precedents to safeguard the area’s residential character from commercial over-exploitation, while they also extend the acceptable limit on the height of buildings in the area from 24 meters to 32, based on a 1955 law that the same court upheld in a similar case concerning a hotel near the Acropolis.
Last month, the Tourism Ministry announced the cease of operations for the Coco-Mat Hotel in Koukaki district of Athens as the owner has not complied with the state decisions to bring down the two upper floors for they hide view to the Acropolis. The building’s permit has been partially revoked.