Piraeus Port Master Plan Raises Concerns

Photo Source: Piraeus Port Authority (PPA)

Government officials, Piraeus local authorities and stakeholders met on Wednesday, to discuss concerns over the master plan  submitted last month by the Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) for the revamp of the country’s largest port.

Issues requiring further examination according to the committee are the duration of public deliberation seeing that the interventions laid out in the plan are “serious and will determine the activity of port-side areas over the next 25 years”.

Photo source: Piraeus Port Authority

The committee is also calling on PPA management under Chinese conglomerate Cosco to submit studies on construction, traffic and environmental interventions, while some members expressed disapproval of large-scale commercial activities at the port. Further observations made noted that buildings and hotels must be erected in harmony with city planning regulations, while the committee also suggested the construction of a Museum of Underwater Antiquities and a theme park.

“We demand full respect for the Constitution and of Greek legislation for the protection of regional zones on land and at sea as well as of the environment. This means that we are against the construction of a shipbuilding zone in the region of Salamina, which is strictly protected,” said Panagiotis Chatziperos, deputy regional governor for the islands, and Salamina Mayor Isidora Nannou, in a joint statement.

In the meantime, in response to the reactions, the PPA, which stressed that the plan complies with all laws and regulations, has called an extraordinary meeting over the master plan with the participation of municipal and local authorities and bodies. The mayors of areas affected are set to issue separate observations and suggestions during respective municipal council meetings.