Athens: Plato's Academy threatened!

Photo: Eleutherotypia, 24.03.2010

A building monstrosity in the middle of the Archaeological Park of the Academy of Plato

Giorgos Lialios

An archaeological park that includes an office building of 20.000 sq. m. is being pushed forward by the ministries of Environment and Culture in the region of Plato’s Academy in Athens. The services of the ministry of Environment have given a positive opinion concerning the creation of a building monstrosity in this area which is in the process of being reformed. And the political leadership of the ministry proves itself with no spine, although originally it had considered the possibility of a temporary freeze of all construction in the region. All this shall be decided in the next few days.

As it seems, each of the (very few) city planning interventions of the state in Athens must be accompanied by the advancement of a large entrepreneurial investment ! This is proven to be the case for the Academia Platonos (Plato’s Academy) area, where the ministries of Culture and Environment are planning the reforming of the archaeological site and the creation of a museum. This move to upgrade the area is accompanied by the approval (in a whole series of legal and planning intervention dating from 2000 to 2008) of the construction of a five-story building complex of offices of a total surface of 20000 sq. m.

View of the archaeological site of Plato's Academy (from: Wikipedia)

The building permit for the building monstrosity was granted in 2008, without having an approved study of its environmental consequences. This was handled by the Special Service of Environment of the Ministry of the same name, which, as is its custom, gave a positive report. The final decision is now in the hands of the Minister, mrs. Tina Birbili, who, according to information had originally considered the possibility of freezing of construction over an area of 56 city blocks in the region (a move which would give the ministry the time to move on the matter). The minister, however, does not look like being ready to go against these particular business interests. The stance of the new Minister of Culture, mr. Pavlos Geroulanos, remains a mystery, as do the plans of the ministry about incorporating this building monstrosity into the archaeological project…

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Press Release of the Ministry of Environment and Energy

The Ministry of Environment and Energy decided the freezing of the Construction permits in the region to the North of Elaionas of the municipality of Athens and more specifically in the region of the archaeological forest of the Academy of Plato. This region, covering approximately 55 building blocks, was put under a regime of frozen building permits for one year, after relative proposals of the year 2009 of the Municipal Council of the City of Athens, aiming at the reform of the relative City Plan for the reforming and orthological use of this area of great importance for the City of Athens.

Source: http://akadimia-platonos.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-post_23.html

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Sources : Kathimerini, 16.03.2010

See also: Eleutherotypia, 24.03.2010

Plato's Academy Regional Association