Corfu Old Town under UNESCO’s ‘microscope’ for 11 months
UNESCO
22 Aug 2022
/ 17:55
CORFU. Despite the serious problems that exist, the body responsible for the implementation of the Corfu Οld Τown management plan has not met for a long time.
Corfu Old Town is expected to be under UNESCO's ‘microscope’ for 11 months, starting in September. The inspection is expected to be completed in July 2023 and the conclusions are expected to be of particular interest for the UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the two fortresses and the historic centre.
For the time being, however, the responsible bodies provide little information on the inspections that will be carried out and only say that this is a time-consuming process. It is worth noting that a similar inspection had been carried out years ago when Kostas Nikolouzos was mayor, where weaknesses were highlighted, such as the lack of free spaces, heavy vehicles in the historic town center, the traffic problem, objects from businesses, etc.
These are long-standing issues, which had been included in the updated Old Town management plan and unfortunately have not been resolved to date (e.g. waste collection and management, the traffic problem, land use, etc.), thus directly affecting the condition of the monument.
The body
Many believe that the solution to overcome these problems is for the Corfu Old Town management body to be active again, as it is responsible for the implementation of the management plan. However, although its operation is considered crucial in addressing the everyday problems, the Old Town Monitoring Committee has not met for a long time. "The body has not met. Its term of office has expired and we are waiting for it to be reconstructed. We have done what we had to do," the Central Corfu Mayor Meropi Υdraiou told Enimerosi.
The historical background
The Memorandum of Cooperation for the establishment of a management body was signed in November 2011. The body's Coordinating Committee consisted of 17 members with the then Mayor as Chairman. In March 2012, the responsible bodies signed the contract for the management body.
On 15 June 2012, five representatives of the Ministry of Culture were appointed to this management body, known as the Corfu Old Town Coordinating Committee. The first meeting of the Committee was held in February 2013 in Faliraki following the invitation of the then Committee Chairman and Mayor Mr. Trepeklis.
For the time being, however, the responsible bodies provide little information on the inspections that will be carried out and only say that this is a time-consuming process. It is worth noting that a similar inspection had been carried out years ago when Kostas Nikolouzos was mayor, where weaknesses were highlighted, such as the lack of free spaces, heavy vehicles in the historic town center, the traffic problem, objects from businesses, etc.
These are long-standing issues, which had been included in the updated Old Town management plan and unfortunately have not been resolved to date (e.g. waste collection and management, the traffic problem, land use, etc.), thus directly affecting the condition of the monument.
The body
Many believe that the solution to overcome these problems is for the Corfu Old Town management body to be active again, as it is responsible for the implementation of the management plan. However, although its operation is considered crucial in addressing the everyday problems, the Old Town Monitoring Committee has not met for a long time. "The body has not met. Its term of office has expired and we are waiting for it to be reconstructed. We have done what we had to do," the Central Corfu Mayor Meropi Υdraiou told Enimerosi.
The historical background
The Memorandum of Cooperation for the establishment of a management body was signed in November 2011. The body's Coordinating Committee consisted of 17 members with the then Mayor as Chairman. In March 2012, the responsible bodies signed the contract for the management body.
On 15 June 2012, five representatives of the Ministry of Culture were appointed to this management body, known as the Corfu Old Town Coordinating Committee. The first meeting of the Committee was held in February 2013 in Faliraki following the invitation of the then Committee Chairman and Mayor Mr. Trepeklis.
