Following the recent publications on websites and questions from our fellow citizens regarding the fate of the unfinished Kytheria Cultural Centre in Building Block 264^α (75-79 Kythirion Avenue) in Alimos, the Municipal Authority responsibly informs you of the following:

The position of the Municipal Authority is that the unfinished building should be completed immediately and should be used as a Spiritual Centre of the Kytheria area, for the benefit of the Kythirian residents of the area and our citizens in general, exactly as planned from the very beginning by the Kythirian Building Cooperative and the first Kythirian residents of this area of our city.

In particular, according to the design of the Kytheria Cooperative, the area of the Cultural Centre will include, among others: cultural events, a museum, a library, a youth centre, a small wing of a nursing home, etc.

The plan of the Trifyllion Foundation to demolish the building donated by the Kytheria Cooperative and in its place to build a complex of 4 apartment buildings (48 residences in total), is opposed not only by the Municipal Authority, but also by the vast majority of the residents of the Kytheria area. Moreover, and most importantly, this design violates the terms and purpose of the donation of the property, which was donated in 2004 by the Kytheria Cooperative to the Trifyllion Foundation, with the exclusive purpose of its completion and operation as a Cultural Centre. for the residents of the Kytheria area.

This property was not donated for any other purpose or any other economic use, therefore the demolition of the Spiritual Centre and the construction of apartment buildings with the system of renting is in direct contradiction with the terms of the donation made by the residents of Kythira to the Trifyllion Foundation in 2004, trusting the Foundation to complete and operate the Cultural Centre.

In addition, and this is of great importance, the donor, the Kytheria Cooperative, gave to the Trifyllion Foundation five (5) plots of land, in order to sell them and with the money that will be generated from the sale, to cover the cost of completing the unfinished building (Cultural Centre).

Therefore, the choice of the Trifyllion Foundation not to sell these 5 plots and not to complete the Cultural Centre for 20 years (2004-2024), but to finally demolish the unfinished building (for the construction of which the Kythirians of the area had spent large sums of money) and in its place to construct private residences for economic exploitation, is a choice that is completely contrary to the wishes of the Kytherian donors and to the cultural and social planning that the Kytherian settlers of the area made from the very beginning. Furthermore, this planning is contrary to the urban planning and the urban organization of the area, but also to the public and social interest of all the inhabitants of the Kytheria area, who have been waiting for almost 20 years for the fulfilment of the conditions of the donation, the completion of the unfinished building and its operation as a centre of cultural activity and social solidarity.

The Municipality of Alimos intends to exercise all legal means at its disposal, in order to to fulfill the desire and planning of the Kytheria Cooperative, not to demolish the Cultural Centre, but instead the building to be completed as soon as possible and to function as a place of culture and social solidarity, just as the first Kytherian settlers of the area planned and as the whole Kytherian region needs today.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY:

For anyone interested in more information, here is a brief history of Building Block 264^α:

1969: the Building Association decides to use the site for the construction of the «Kytheria Cultural Centre». It had already been decided that the two adjacent sites would be used for a School and a Church respectively, in order to create the triptych «School - Church - Culture».
1992: Building Permit 784/1992 is issued for the construction of the Kytheria Cultural Centre. The building of the site begins.
1995-2004: the Kytheria Cultural Centre is built, at the expense of the Kytheria Cooperative. The funds come largely from the sale of land owned by the Cooperative in the area.
2004: the Co-operative donates the property to the Trifyllion Foundation by contract, with the sole and explicit purpose of completing the Kytheria Spiritual Centre and its operation. In order to cover the costs of the completion, the Association donates to the Trifyllion Foundation five (5) plots of land in the Kytheria area, in order to sell them and generate funds for the orchard works. It is expressly provided that the building will house, among others: library and reading room, exhibition hall, museum, small amphitheatre, youth and student services department for Kythirian students, small wing for housing and care of Kythirian seniors in the area
2007: the 101/2007 revision of the Building Permit is issued, for the extension of the validity of the 784/1992 building permit and the addition of a floor to the Cultural Centre.
2004-2024: the Trifillion Foundation does not sell the five (5) plots of land and does not proceed with any construction work for the completion of the building.
2021 (January): the Municipality of Alimos characterizes the area as a «cultural (welfare) area» in its new General Urban Plan. The approval of this new General Plan is still pending at the competent Ministry.
2022 (September): the Trifyllion Foundation announces a tender for the completion of the building, with the system of consideration. The Municipality of Alimos submits a proposal, as it had already agreed with the management of the Trifyllion Foundation. In the end, the Trifyllion Foundation awarded the contract to the construction company DAKON SA, which did not propose the completion of the property, but the demolition of the building and the construction of 48 housing complexes.
2023 (November): the Trifyllion Foundation intervenes before the Ministry of Environment, requesting that the area be classified not as a «cultural (welfare) area», but as a General Residential area, so that the construction of residences (or shops) and the commercial exploitation of the property is possible. It is now clear that the Triphyllion Foundation is seeking to breach the terms of the donation.
2024 (January): An open meeting of the residents of the Kytheria area is held and signatures of the residents are collected, demanding the preservation of the Spiritual Centre and the protection of the purpose of the donation and the use of the land that already exists in the area.