New uses include casinos, shopping malls, entertainment venues and helipads

The mid-term plan for the utilisation of public property provides national real estate cut-to-measure for businesses, enforcing even more favorable building and planning regulations than those of the Olympics. Beaches, prime tourist real estate, quarries, and even places of archaeological interest will be sacrificed for tourist accommodation, marinas, houses, casinos, shopping malls, nightclubs and helipads.

The most glaring element of the leveling memorandum requirement is that the interests of investors will enforce the rules whereby properties will be utilised in order "to provide the best urban investment destination for the property’s recovery".

The state is simply required to facilitate them by providing the urban planning tools that will allow them to build double quick and circumvent statutory urban planning regulations, wherever those may apply.

This policy was advertised recently by the initiator of the law and current environment minister Papakonstantinou who. in the context of rapid investment recovery, announced the provision of construction conditions and land usages in certain cases where public property will be allocated for long-term holding.

Elliniko will be the start, for the uses of which there will be a corresponding "adjustment" to the master plan of Athens that will be presented on July 20. And the building permits for the use of public property will not be given by urban planning offices but by the Environment ministry.

"It is a wretched law"

It is the specialization of the provisions of the implementation law, which comes to demolish the existing urban planning legislation with a multitude of waivers and changes to presidential decrees and land usages, fostering an attractive investment environment. "It is a wretchedness that has exceeded all limits", states Christos Spirtzis, the president of the Technical Chamber, stressing that with the mid-term "we break down what we’ve accomplished so far, preserving endless distortions".

With the enactment of the law, the state practically invites only investors who will construct on public property, to the detriment of citizens and the small minority that will continue to build on the 10 acres as required by the law on biodiversity in the protected Natura areas.

And this will come with a hidden agenda of stricter building terms, elimination of construction outside urban planning limits and special arrangements on the islands, with thoughts of even reducing the maximum allowable construction area of the current 200 sq.m to 150, as is already the case on 24 islands covered by special decrees. In other words, the state is not applying the same rules and conditions for the utilisation of public and private assets.

CoS is the last hope

Perhaps the only comforting element according to Kostas Kartalis, PASOK MP in Magnisia and Chairman of the parliamentary environment committee, is that the investment plans for real estate will be promoted by presidential decrees requiring screening by the CoS.

"It would have been bad for these plans to be approved by joint ministerial decisions. The fact that there is a requirement for a review by the CoS is a positive provision, which cannot easily overcome the court laws", he adds.

During the period of the Olympic preparations however, urban planning privileges were granted which passed the CoS and overcame any obstacles due to national interests. We believe that now, with the country in a state of red alert because of its excessive debt, even the judges of the strict CoS will show more clemency!

National parks and buildings under preservation were excluded at the last minute

The Olympic methodology that bypassed laws, stood on planning waivers and nurtured the cement in Athens, seems to be the guideline to attract investors in this very difficult time for the rescue of the Greek economy.

"The difference now is that they are attempting to enforce what happened with the Olympics on all public property. Then, specific construction terms were issued to only 15 Olympic properties", says Kartalis, whose own intervention excluded at the last minute areas of absolute protection and conservation of nature, national parks, Ramsar sites and monuments under preservation that were headed straight for the meat grinder of individual owners.

An example of the "lighter" framework created in connection to the past is the fact that the construction rate in Faliro Beach for Olympic usages was 0,05 and for Agios Kosmas beach 0,1.

With the new framework they are increased from 0,2 to 0,4, depending on the usages of each property, with the obvious goal of laying more concrete and building infrastructure that will bring in fresh money.