Region for Faliro Bay: Coronavirus and lack of resources, the causes of the delay

In a statement dated November 25, 2020, the Region of Attica states that the redevelopment projects for the Faliro Waterfront are proceeding according to the original plan, while simultaneously seeking a sustainable management model for the project in the years to come. At the same time, it criticizes the previous administration for failing—as it claims—to secure the necessary budgetary resources for the project’s implementation. Finally, it clarifies that the bidding process for Phase II of the revitalization projects is contingent upon the assignment of a specialized company in an advisory capacity, with a primary role in seeking resources from alternative funding sources to complete the project.

Read the full press release from the Region of Attica:

In response to a question submitted by New Democracy MP V. Spanakis regarding the progress of the Faliro Waterfront redevelopment projects—which raised a number of issues addressed in a joint resolution by the Municipal Councils of Moschato – Tavros, and Kallithea, we would like to highlight the following:

• The Faliro Waterfront Redevelopment Project is a priority for the current administration of the Attica Region. This initiative concerns not only the municipalities in the area but also the citizens of the entire Athens Basin. That is why all our actions serve a single goal: to secure the necessary resources to complete the entire project as quickly as possible, while simultaneously ensuring unimpeded access for all citizens to all areas of the waterfront.
• We would like to clarify that there are no new plans regarding the implementation of the project, as has been inaccurately reported.
• The current Regional Administration has never raised the issue of changing the land uses and building regulations set forth in Presidential Decree 443 of December 6, 2013.
• As for the timeline for completing Phase A, it has been postponed to the first half of 2021, primarily due to the impact of the pandemic.
• Along with the completion of the first phase of the project’s construction and the tendering process for the next phase, we are also seeking a sustainable, decades-long management model for the project, since no provision had been made in the initial implementation plan for the largest urban development project on the Attica coastline.
• The current administration of the Attica Region is committed to conducting a broad consultation with local communities and municipalities in the region, regarding how the project will be managed and utilized once it is completed. In any case, we will ensure that the Faliro waterfront does not suffer the same fate as the abandoned and underutilized Olympic properties.
• To set the record straight, we reiterate once again that this particular project was never included in public investment programs, as has been inaccurately reported.
• The residents of the municipalities in the wider Faliro Waterfront area should be aware that the necessary funds for carrying out the project were never secured, from the Attica Region’s budget, as the previous administration inaccurately claimed. On September 1, 2019, we found just over 300 million euros in our coffers and liabilities totaling more than 1.7 billion euros solely for the implementation of technical projects (relating to the repayment of projects that were underway, projects for which programmatic contracts had been signed with municipalities, or projects that had been included in the Region’s budget with indicative amounts). If we allocate all the funds at our disposal solely to this specific project, we will be forced to cancel projects that have already been planned in the other municipalities of Attica, and we would also be unable to plan any new projects for the coming years. To avoid this scenario without jeopardizing the completion of the Faliro Waterfront redevelopment, we are seeking funding from various sources (such as the European Recovery Fund or funding from the European Investment Bank).

Based on the above, as well as the information provided to us by the relevant departments of the Attica Region regarding the progress of the project, the following applies:

1. The implementation of Phase II of the Faliro Bay redevelopment projects is governed by the provisions of the Presidential Decree of November 26, 2013 (Government Gazette 443/December 6, 2013, Issue on Compulsory Expropriations and Urban Planning Matters), pursuant to which the comprehensive redevelopment plan for Faliro Bay and the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment were approved. No changes have been made to the plan drawn up pursuant to the provisions of the aforementioned Presidential Decree. For this reason, the argument regarding ’thought» or «energy»Amending the Presidential Decree.".
2. The tender for Phase II phase of the Faliro Bay redevelopment projects is directly and immediately linked to the formal completion of the process of awarding a contract to a specialized consulting firm providing advisory services to the Region of Attica at theeconomic and legal levels.

The contractor’s scientific expertise and experience with projects of a similar scale and strategic importance will ensure not only a swift and proper tender process but also the completion of this landmark project for all of Attica, in a manner that is technically and economically sound.

The consultant’s duties can be summarized primarily as follows: (a) identifying resources from alternative funding sources and/or a combination of financing instruments at the national and European levels (b) organizing the process, as appropriate, for the submission of a complete application and monitoring its completion (c) supporting the utilization, operational sustainability, maintenance, and safe operation of the Ecological Park, following the completion of its construction, for the benefit of the citizens of Attica.

In any case, the Attica Region’s goal is to put Phase II out to bid in the first half of 2021, with the assistance of the Consultant and by securing funding.

3. There has never been any guaranteed funding for Phase II of the redevelopment projects from the ’Public Investment». Nor, of course, from the Attica Region's own resources
4. No provision had been made for the establishment of an entity responsible for the management, maintenance, and safe operation of the green spaces after the completion of the work, or to issue a call for expressions of interest to potential investors, so that the metropolitan park would not be left to its own devices in the long term, particularly after it is handed over for public use. The goal of the new Administration of the Region of Attica is to prevent the deterioration or abandonment of public spaces so that the metropolitan park does not become yet another «white elephant.».
5. The existing institutional and regulatory framework ensures the public nature of the metropolitan park, as well as its free and inclusive use by all citizens, so that it can fulfill its role as a metropolitan hub and a link between the urban fabric and the sea.
6. The timeline for completing Phase A of the Faliro Bay redevelopment project is set to be postponed to within the first six months of 2021, taking into account, collectively, the multiple impacts of the pandemic on public health and socioeconomic levels, the delay in the delivery of materials from overseas factories since March 2020 due to the coronavirus, the restrictive measures taken to protect the public health of construction site personnel, as well as the financial difficulties faced by the contractor, who was selected by the previous administration.
7. The excavated material will be removed as soon as it is technically feasible, since everyone should be aware that the materials in the surrounding area are necessary for the construction of Phase II of the redevelopment project.
8. All studies related to the project are available to anyone interested.

9. The site will be developed in accordance with the project’s approved master plan; however, in any case, the construction and operation of a public park—free and open to the public—will be ensured, whose sustainability will be guaranteed.