Inter-association committee calls for free access and new management model for Mon Repos beach

The Inter-Association Committee of Cultural and Environmental Associations has issued a joint statement addressed to Mayor Stefanos Poulimenos, prompted by the upcoming expiration on July 31, 2026, of the concession contract for Mon Repos beach to a private operator.

In its letter to the mayor and the relevant authorities, the Committee adopts the positions of the “Mono Repos” group and calls for timely planning of the new contract, stressing the importance of the beach as the “town’s only municipal beach,” with a strong social and historical character.

The previous contract—concluded during the mayoralty of Nikolouzos—created problems in the public's daily access, as they have traditionally used the area for swimming. The associations stress that the upcoming expiration of the contract is an opportunity for a “substantial restart” under terms that will safeguard the public character of the beach.

In this context, they put forward specific proposals, calling for:

• the timely announcement of the new contract, so as to avoid operational gaps during the summer,
• the explicit guarantee of free access to the seashore, with the lower entrance kept permanently open,
• limiting the concession strictly to the restaurant and its immediate surrounding area, leaving the rest free for public use,
• the establishment of a ceiling for prices for basic products, given the beach’s everyday use by families,
• ensuring cleanliness throughout the area, as well as maintenance of infrastructure and the presence of a lifeguard,
• the removal of stones and debris from the seabed, in cooperation with the competent archaeological service,
• as well as the consideration of alternative management models, such as social cooperative structures, that would preserve the public-benefit character of the area.

The undersigned associations state that they aim to preserve the beach as a free, accessible, and socially useful space, calling on the Municipality to take initiatives that respond to the public's needs and protect public property.

GIORGOS KATSAITIS