Illegal buildings on Corfu shorelines to be demolished
demolition
09 Oct 2020
/ 10:39
CORFU. Demolition costs to be met by owners.
The decision was announced and published on Tuesday 6 October to proceed with the demolition of illegal buildings along shorelines and in forest areas. The Land Agency and Corfu Forestry Commission have published 30 demolition order ultimatums with a cost of €300,000.
The recent tragedies in Mati and Mandra have put pressure on the Government to proceed with the execution of the demolition orders that are issued annually by the local Land Agencies.
The political decision was taken by the Ministry of Environment at the end of last year and it was then included in the Green Fund with funding of €4m for the demolition of illegal buildings in 6 areas (Attica, Macedonia-Thrace, Thessaly-Mainland Greece, Western Macedonia, Peloponnese-Western Greece-Ionian, Crete) which between them cover 11 Regions and the majority of illegal constructions in the country.
Fines
Fines, of course, have never been an inhibiting factor. As regards Corfu, the majority of illegal constructions are properties that have been built by the sea by well-off owners. If these are reported and their illegality is proved, the owners pay an annual fine. The law, however, states that the responsibility for the demolition of illegal buildings belongs to the Decentralised Administration and it is here that 'money talks' - and the demolition orders stay in the drawer for decades.
Environment Minister: Immediate demolition
In a letter to the 7 Decentralised Administrations the Environment Minister Kostis Hadjidakis stated categorically that the demolition of illegal buildings must proceed immediately. This refers to illegal properties in forests, forest and reforestable areas, shoreline areas, near streams and, in general, all protected areas.
In his letter in May, he impressed the following upon the Decentralised Administration Coordinators: "There are no excuses for delay. We are not here to reproduce the diseases of the past. We must all accept our share of responsibility to protect the environment in practice, not in words. I am certain that we all share the belief that we have a duty to do everything we can to protect our country's natural wealth, which is the greatest heritage that we can leave for our children."
Who foots the bill?
According to the current legislation, demolition costs are borne by the owner of the illegal property. The General Director of Decentralised Land & Environment Policy Dionysis Panayiotopoulos stated categorically to Enimerosi that this is what will happen. The state will use its own funds for demolition and the owners will then be called upon to pay this back.
The recent tragedies in Mati and Mandra have put pressure on the Government to proceed with the execution of the demolition orders that are issued annually by the local Land Agencies.
The political decision was taken by the Ministry of Environment at the end of last year and it was then included in the Green Fund with funding of €4m for the demolition of illegal buildings in 6 areas (Attica, Macedonia-Thrace, Thessaly-Mainland Greece, Western Macedonia, Peloponnese-Western Greece-Ionian, Crete) which between them cover 11 Regions and the majority of illegal constructions in the country.
Fines
Fines, of course, have never been an inhibiting factor. As regards Corfu, the majority of illegal constructions are properties that have been built by the sea by well-off owners. If these are reported and their illegality is proved, the owners pay an annual fine. The law, however, states that the responsibility for the demolition of illegal buildings belongs to the Decentralised Administration and it is here that 'money talks' - and the demolition orders stay in the drawer for decades.
Environment Minister: Immediate demolition
In a letter to the 7 Decentralised Administrations the Environment Minister Kostis Hadjidakis stated categorically that the demolition of illegal buildings must proceed immediately. This refers to illegal properties in forests, forest and reforestable areas, shoreline areas, near streams and, in general, all protected areas.
In his letter in May, he impressed the following upon the Decentralised Administration Coordinators: "There are no excuses for delay. We are not here to reproduce the diseases of the past. We must all accept our share of responsibility to protect the environment in practice, not in words. I am certain that we all share the belief that we have a duty to do everything we can to protect our country's natural wealth, which is the greatest heritage that we can leave for our children."
Who foots the bill?
According to the current legislation, demolition costs are borne by the owner of the illegal property. The General Director of Decentralised Land & Environment Policy Dionysis Panayiotopoulos stated categorically to Enimerosi that this is what will happen. The state will use its own funds for demolition and the owners will then be called upon to pay this back.
