Greece’s Hellinikon Tourism Project Gets High Court Approval

The Hellenikon project. Photo Source: https://thehellinikon.com

The Council of State, Greece’s highest court, decided on Thursday, that the presidential decree for the development of Athens former airport along the Athenian Riviera into a multipurpose resort area is legal and abides by the constitution, clearing one more hurdle ahead of its materialization.

The former airport in Hellinikon. Photo © Reuters/Yorgos Karahalis

Set to create 70,000 jobs and boost state coffers by some 14.1 billion euros in tax revenues by 2041, the project, a requirement set by Greece’s international lenders, has repeatedly been dogged by delays resulting earlier this week, in Greece failing to receive the fourth 5.7-billion-euro trance of bailout funds.

According to the Council of State’s 111-page ruling, all the works planned by property developer Lamda for Hellinikon are legal and in accordance with the constitutional provisions on the protection of the environment and of archaeological sites. The court has thus approved the construction, urban planning, architectural and other regulations for the development of the property including a highly-debated 45-storey skyscraper among six high-rise buildings, as included in the investor’s master plan.

The Hellenikon project. Photo Source: https://thehellinikon.com

According to the court, the development of the project is in the public’s interest.

“The creation of a metropolitan multipurpose space as a national and international reference point, the construction and maintenance of a metropolitan park in Attica, and the establishment of an hub which will serve as a center for development in the region with multiple objectives, including easing the acute economic crisis, developing the national economy, increasing employment and reducing unemployment, combating poverty, enhancing social cohesion, reducing public debt, highlighting Athens as a cultural metropolis, a tourist attraction of international acclaim, an important center of economic growth and entrepreneurship, is in the best interest of the public,” the ruling read, adding that it will contribute to the improvement of the standard of living.