Reportage. «Freedom»
A serious issue throughout Greece and especially in developing tourist areas of Messinia, has caused a decision of the Plenary of the Council of State on the building of plots in areas outside the city plan.
MPs, civil engineers, real estate agents, landowners and investors have been pressing the government for a legislative solution, but for now, the issue remains pending.
With the decision of the Council of State concerning a case in Patmos, plots of land over 4 acres that do not face a public road cannot be built on and become unusable, overturning what was in force since 1985 in the building of plots in areas outside the plan.
Building permits are useless, transfers and purchases cease permanently and most importantly, private individuals who bought plots of land as complete and buildable, paying thousands of euros and cannot build on them, cannot use them.
Among the first reactions that have been recorded, is a question submitted to the Minister of Environment and Energy Kostas Skreka, the MP for Magnesia and parliamentary representative of ND Christos Boukoros, noting the major problems that have been created in off-limits building on even and buildable land over 4 acres after the adoption of a relevant decision of the Council of State and concerns thousands of residents of the county and the country.
The MP points out that “as many lawyers argue in our country, from the beginning of the establishment of the Greek State, there is no holistic approach to off-plan building, with land use and registration of the road network, while issuing administrative acts that establish the existence and recognition of the road network, so that these roads are considered public roads and the citizen can issue building permits, according to the urban planning provisions”.
The Peloponnese TEI, with a document of the president Chariklia Tsioli to the minister K. Skreka and the Deputy Minister of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment Nikos Tagaras, stresses that: “The 176/23 decision of the Plenary Session of the Council of State has the following effect: Building permits, which have been issued from 1985 until today, many of which are valid until 31-12-2024, are being called into question. A number of Ministerial Decisions and circulars of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, which have created a legal certainty for the technical world, owners and investors, are annulled. To overturn purchases and contracts for properties in off-plan areas, even in cases where their integrity is not in question. Suspend small and medium-sized investments (especially in tourism), as it will not be possible to use the provisions of the off-plan building regulations to issue building permits with the security of legality.”.
The Peloponnese TEI notes that “the immediate resolution of the problem is imperative. The Ministry of Environment must demonstrate consistency in what it has already legislated” and calls for “the issue to be addressed as soon as possible, either by issuing a legislative regulation or by issuing a circular or by any other legal way it deems, so as to ensure the buildability of land over 4 acres until the sanction of the total public network”.
The civil engineer Panagiotis Moundaneas, who is particularly concerned with the issue, observed in “E” that “the CoE formulated a rule, saying that it is valid since 1985, but it has not been passed into law, it is not reflected”. He informed us that “many Urban Planning Departments in the country reacted and do not give permission if the plot does not have a face on a public road” and pointed out that despite the mobilizations of TEE and engineering associations at the national and local level, nothing has been done.
P. Moundaneas assured that “there are people who have bought plots of land with permission and have not started to build, while there are 15,000 cases throughout Greece who have bought plots of land, and expensive ones at that, and cannot get permission”. He also noted that a “serious problem is created in the labor market, the field of engineers is very limited and in the land and real estate market, a mess has been created. It is wrong, in my opinion, the Planning Department stopped the procedures for issuing permits, since the State has not accepted the decision of the Council of State legislatively. The government is being pressed to provide a solution, as everyone says, and it must.”.
One of the areas of Messinia where a serious problem is recorded is SE Pylia.
Nikos Tsonis, president of the Finikounda Community, told E that “this is the next big problem we have in the area with the old plots, after the high productivity zone that cancels plots, because it classifies the area as high productivity land”.
He clarified that “it is a very serious problem, as there is a high demand for land” and said: “Many plots are being deactivated and we are being humiliated as a country, because citizens, especially foreigners paid thousands of euros to buy a plot and cannot get permission to develop it. A foreign citizen cannot understand how this can happen. A decision is made for a particular area and it affects the whole country. Foreigners complain, real estate agents are in trouble and the country is discredited. They call us names and they're right. A citizen paid 180,000 euros for a plot of land and cannot get a permit.”.
N. Tsonis observed, complaining that “in our region, tourism and the country house, the second home has been left. And now it is being fired, it is very big problem” and asked “to move the procedures from the municipality, the Region, there is pressure to clarify the issue, to give a solution”.
The real estate agent Yannis Panagiotopoulos, who is active in the area of Pylia, observed that “this decision will change everyday life. There is confusion and insecurity for everyone, both for those who have invested and can't use their investment and for those who have property. A lot of money is lost.’.
He pointed out that “there are many people who cannot build, and there is already the issue of high productivity land. A decision has to be made.”.
Panagiotopoulos noted that “the economy of the region is based on tourism and holiday homes to the tune of over 60%”.
