Bulldozers of the Decentralized Administration of Crete revved up last Saturday, with jaws tearing up the concrete of an arbitrary abandoned structure on the beach of Tobruk, east of the city of Heraklion. The roof of the dangerously abandoned two-story building, which once functioned as a tavern, had been converted in recent years into a free parking area for beachgoers.
Freeze
The program of demolitions took up again in Crete, after the long period of their suspension. The demolitions of illegal buildings on seashores and beaches across the country had been “frozen” in March 2021, with an amendment by the Ministry of Environment and Energy which was constantly getting extensions until March 2023, on the grounds of the economic loss f4rom such structures.
The last extension expired and was not renewed after the government decided, on the way to the polls, to crack down on any urban planning illegality on the island of Mykonos. It remains to be seen if, post-election, the case will be re-evaluated and the decisions changed. In the meantime, the Decentralized Administration of Crete is “taking advantage” of the “freedom” for the demolitions, and the second demolition date has already been scheduled, within the next week.
The list
However, as the Secretary General of the Decentralized Administration of Crete Mrs. Maria Kozyraki reports to ΟΤ, the prioritization of the approximately 400 demolition protocols has changed, given that the June-September period is critical for the island’s tourist activity. Thus, the initial list that had been drawn up based on the interventions of the prosecutor, the antiquity or the seriousness of the offense, was restructured, initially excluding areas with a lot of tourist activity so that, as she points out, “we do not create a problem for businesses that are active in these areas, with legal permits, which have illegally occupied part of the beach”. According to the General Secretary, “we will intervene in these from October onwards”.
Most of the arbitrary ones are located in the northern part of the prefecture and mainly in the coastal areas of Heraklion and Lasithi and the demolitions will be done on a regular basis by the contractor who has undertaken the contract of 1.2 million euros. Initially, according to Mrs. Kozyraki, self-contained arbitrary constructions are chosen – e.g. canteens that have been extended with pergolas and tables, etc. – and from mid-autumn, demolitions will begin in hotels and shops of health interest that have illegally extended onto the beach and seafront.
The decisions
It took 10 to 15 years for the 400 demolition protocols of Crete – like thousands of others in the rest of the regions of the country – to become definitively irrevocable. And as the years go by, what worries the heads of the Decentralized Administrations in charge of the demolitions the most is that the image of the tyrants depicted in the years-long pending demolition protocols is completely different from their actual situation today. And this is because the violators have become shameless on the one hand due to the long-term impunity of urban planning violations and on the other hand because with successive extensions, the demolition program was “shelved” for two years. After all, the public administration had known them for decades, and even before 2021, there were only a few dozen demolitions carried out every year throughout the country.
As officials explain, impunity deters violators and often the size of the plot to be demolished under the protocol has nothing to do with the existing building as shown by the measurements taken on the plot before the bulldozers get to work. “A demolition protocol, which e.g. it came out three years ago, it may concern 100 sq.m. and today they have reached 200 sq.m. But we cannot demolish everything, except what the protocol mentions”, says Mrs. Kozyraki.
The desires of encroachers have become the law
Arbitrary demolitions have never been a priority of the state, in contrast to efforts to legalize them and interventions to keep demolition protocols outstanding, especially in tourist areas of the country. The examples are many.
In 2013, the plan was to demolish around 80 arbitrary buildings throughout Crete, but the then government was reckoning without the hoteliers, who managed to secure an extension, with the support of the then minister of Tours
Latest News
Which Islands Will Have Italians Flocking to Greece this Summer?
Well-known Italian travel magazine details reasons why Skopelos, Naxos and Astypalaia are the go-to summer destinations for Italians
Antentokounmpo 5th Highest Paid Athlete in World
The basketball player rakes in 111 million dollars per year, between his salary at the Bucks and endorsements from big brands like Amazon, Nike and Pepsi
Greek FM Gerapetritis: Need to Immediately End Gaza Hostilities
Gerapetritis added that a humanitarian crisis was transpiring in Gaza, with the concerns now being spillover in the wider Middle East.
ETC Report: Greece 3rd Most Popular Destination for Europeans
Italy and Spain are tied as the top destinations, each attracting 8% of travelers
Greece Battles EC to Protect Rice Industry and Public Health
Together with several other EU countries, Greece successfully blocked the European Commission's proposal to increase allowable levels of a banned pesticide commonly found in rice imported from southeast Asia
Eurostat: 3.2% Annual Inflation in Greece in April
The data shows that Greece ranks seventh in overall inflation within the eurozone and second in food inflation
Intrum’s 2024 Report Unveils Greek Businesses Embrace Digitalization for Growth
Looking ahead, over 40% of businesses prioritize development for 2024, with 65% recognizing the potential of digital business models as sustainable investments
IOBE: Mild Drop in April Business Confidence Index (BCI) in Greece
The positive balance of expectations for employment witnessed a marginal decline, while the index for production forecasts also recorded a mild drop
Greek PM Mitsotakis Calls on EU to Intervene Over Multinationals’ Pricing Policy
Speaking about price fairness, the Prime Minister emphasized, "Europe should also mean similar or uniform prices for the products sold by our multinational corporations.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 4% Decrease in EU, 0.3% Rise in Greece in Q4 2023
The EU's GDP remained stable with a marginal 0.2% increase in fourth quarter of 2023