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A battle over the right to enjoy uninterrupted views of the Acropolis has resulted in a five-star hotel being ordered to demolish its top two floors, in a landmark ruling hailed by residents of Athens, with campaigners \u2018overjoyed\u2019 at a landmark ruling, while noting that a review of planning laws is still needed.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
The Guardian<\/em> writes:<\/p>\n Owned by Coco-Mat, the Greece-based mattress maker, the hotel \u2014 whose \u201cbreathtaking terrace\u201d had been its selling point \u2014 opened its doors barely a year ago. Citizens enraged about the ten-storey establishment blocking their own views of the citadel took the case to the highest court in the land.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a very brave decision,\u201d said Athens mayor Kostas Bakoyannis of the ruling by Greece\u2019s central archaeological council (KAS), the country\u2019s top advisory body on the preservation of ancient antiquities. \u201cThe Acropolis is our heart and our soul, an essential part of our cultural heritage. It\u2019s very important that everyone can enjoy it.”<\/p>\n Campaigners are on a roll. The decision follows\u00a0more than a year of protests<\/a>\u00a0against \u201cmammoth\u201d high rises being erected in neighbourhoods at the sharp end of tourism beneath the\u00a0<\/sup>fifth century BC site.<\/p>\n In April residents in Makriyianni, the district due south of the Acropolis, stepped up the fight launching an online petition, with members of the Avaaz activist network demanding the centre-right Greek government safeguard the declared archaeological zone. Within days 23,000 people had signed the appeal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know of permits being considered for at least seven huge hotels,\u201d said Irini Frezadou, the Swiss-trained architect spearheading the grassroots drive. \u201cWe are overjoyed that under pressure the immovable Greek state has finally acted but it\u2019s urgent we have new building and planning laws if the urban and cultural environment of the Acropolis is to be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n Spurred by the protests Greece\u2019s archaeological council unexpectedly convened. After six hours of debate conducted via teleconference, the expert committee came to the unanimous conclusion that the multimillion-euro edifice would have to be lowered, in the name of protecting the symbol of western democracy…..<\/p>\n Last week Greece\u2019s highest court, the Council of State, also weighed in, adjudicating that in future, structures in the area must be 21 metres or less. The judgment came after the court revoked building permission for an even larger hotel due to go up in Makriyianni, with three underground parking lots and a pool garden on top.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth decisions are a huge victory, testimony to the strength of civil society and what people can do when they unite,\u201d said Andreas Papapetropoulos, the lawyer representing the campaigners. \u201cWe are lucky that the tribunal convened under Katerina Sakellaropoulou,\u201d he added, referring to the environmentally sensitive high court justice who has since become Greece\u2019s first female head of state…..<\/p>\n ….Bakoyannis, like the campaigners, believes no view should be the preserve of a privileged few. Athens, he says, stands out from other cities precisely because the Acropolis \u2013 undergoing a mini facelift ahead of reopening on 18 May \u2013 can be seen far and wide.<\/p>\n \u201cIn London there\u2019s Big Ben but you can only see it from certain, richer areas. The same goes for Paris and the Eiffel Tower. But the Acropolis has a unifying character. You can see it from all around Athens, whether you live in a poor neighbourhood or a rich neighbourhood,\u201d he told the Guardian.<\/p>\n But the mayor also cautioned against heaping blame on businessmen. Greece\u2019s fragile economy is set to contract by as much as 10% as a result of the pandemic, with investment crucial to any recovery. He added: \u201cIt\u2019s easy to say this bad hotel owner or that bad investor but we also need to be very clear about the rules we set, respect the decisions of our high court and create a predictable and safe business environment.\u201d<\/p>\n How or when the owners of the hotel will be called to demolish the upper floors has yet to be revealed. So far they have not reacted publicly to the KAS decision, and when asked to comment, declined.<\/p>\n Locals have scrambled to find the money to cover legal costs. Many grumble they are doing what the state should have done long ago. But Frezadou and her fellow activists see it as a duty to keep on going: international investors are lining up, fuelling fears of runaway greed transforming the area forever.<\/p>\n \u201cOur battle is not yet over,\u201d she said. \u201cThis campaign is not against one, but every, ten-storey monster in the shadow of this glorious site.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more….<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A battle over the right to enjoy uninterrupted views of the Acropolis has resulted in a five-star hotel being ordered to demolish its top two floors, in a landmark ruling hailed by residents of Athens, with campaigners \u2018overjoyed\u2019 at a … Continue reading