The Council of State opened the way to the development of the former Hellinikon airport on Thursday, approving its investment plan as fully compliant with the Greek constitution and legislation, ANA reports.
In their ruling, the judges of Greece’s highest administrative court noted the development of Hellinikon serves the public interest in improving the economy, providing employment opportunities, and promoting Athens as a cultural metropolis.
Referring to the issue of whether high-rises on the property are legal, the judges argued they were allowed within the metropolitan park for “improving quality of life by taking less space, increasing open and green spaces and improving natural and artificial lighting,” therefore any deviations from standard town planning regulations “are justified in serving the purpose of the public interest.”
The Council of State judges warned however that all regulations “such as environmental, town planning, architectural” must be observed to the letter.
Reuters also quoted Greek judicial sources on Thursday afternoon in reporting that the Council of State (CoS), Greece’s highest administrative court, has ratified a presidential decree that includes a Comprehensive Development Plan for the Helleniko privatization, essentially the project’s master plan.
Finally launching the specific project, a landmark privatization in the country that is specifically cited as a “prior action” in the current bailout agreement, is now considered as one of two obligations that the Tsipras government implement before receiving a 5.7-billion-euro loan tranche next month.
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