Extensions and legalizations continued from Ministry of the Environment. The amendment extends the period of legalization arbitrary sports facilities and objects of municipal water supply and irrigation in forest areas, and urban planning lawlessness has been legalized in Pendelis Sanatorium. This was preceded last week by a “rain” of urban expansions, including an indirect expansion for construction on small plots, which angered MPs from the ruling party, who asked parliament yesterday for a “normal” expansion.

The new rules were included in the draft law of the Ministry of Health on palliative care. Among them:

– The deadline given to municipalities for the legalization of sports facilities, water supply and irrigation facilities illegally built on forest lands has been extended until the end of 2023. The original two-year term was established by law 4280/2014 (known as “anti-forestry”) and has since been extended. Interestingly, in the explanatory note, the purpose of the resolution in question is “protection of forest lands”.

– To legitimize all urban planning lawlessness of the Pendelis Hospital building complex, which currently functions as the “Welfare Center” of the Attic Region.

Legislation

Recall that over the past ten days a number of legislative resolutions have been introduced regarding the extension of various deadlines, such as declaring arbitrariness in forests, finalizing old urban plans, etc. The most important of them concerned the indirect expansion of the possibility of building on small plots (up to 4 acres). ) in unplanned areas. The Ministry made it possible to “certify” the right to build on small plots to those who submit even a simple application for building conditions.

Despite the opportunity, yesterday in Parliament, Environment Minister Kostas Skrekas was “attacked” by members of the ruling party who protested that he did not give … a normal extension, until the completion of local urban plans (that is, at least another 3-4 years). Characteristic was the position of the deputy of Messinia, Pericles Manda, who spoke of “the inconsistency of the state, for which the citizens pay” (meaning the inconsistency … the abolition of clearly bad practice). In contrast, the Association of Urban Spatial Planners, in a statement yesterday, opposed the indirect expansion, arguing that “building rights will be secured for an incalculable number of unplanned stadiums throughout the territory, with potentially disastrous consequences for the environment and organization of space.”