The amendment to the draft law of the Ministry of Environment and Energy submitted to Parliament, which maintains the existing boundaries in small settlements, provides a boost to tourism and the local economy of small settlements.
The amendment to the draft law “Framework for the Promotion of Biomethane Production, Rules for the Organization of the Hydrogen Production Market and Geographically Limited Hydrogen Networks – Partial Integration of Directive (EU) 2024/1788 and other Provisions for the Protection of the Environment”, includes, among other things, the possibility, when demarcating settlements with a population of 701 to 2,000 inhabitants, within the framework of a T.P.S. or E.P.S., of the area extending beyond the polygonal line being designated as a Special Use Area (SUA), providing opportunities for gentle development with uses that will operate complementary to those of the settlement.
Essentially, the possibility is introduced in these settlements, during their demarcation within the framework of the urban planning program “Konstantinos Doxiadis”, to define as a P.E.H. the area that extends beyond Zone B1 and reaches the current boundary of the settlement.
The possibility of defining the P.E.H. area is considered absolutely necessary, according to the amendment, as it meets spatial planning criteria and is expected to absorb any housing pressures for housing or other permitted uses in the area, and to generally constitute a residential receptor for the development of uses that will facilitate the better and more effective organization of the settlement and sustainable development with uses adapted to the physiognomy of the area, which will strengthen the local economy (such as agrotourism, ecotourism and agrotechnology).
In the P.E.C., plots with a minimum area of ??2,000 sq. m. to 4,000 sq. m. and a minimum frontage of 15 m. on a public road will be considered as suitable. Permitted land uses may be those permitted in Zones B and B1, upon documentation, based on the specific characteristics of this area, in order to avoid possible conflicts between them and the uncontrolled consumption of natural resources.
What problem has arisen with the settlements
The Council of State had annulled, with a series of decisions in 2017, 2019, and 2022, the boundaries of settlements in Lasithi, Pelion, and Paros, which had been determined by decisions of the Prefectures. Specifically, the Council of State found the Prefects incompetent and the delimitation criteria they followed insufficient.
These decisions, on the one hand, led the specific settlements to building inactivity, as not a single building permit was issued there for a number of years and to this day, and on the other hand, they potentially called into question the delimitation of the remaining 12,000 settlements with less than 2,000 inhabitants throughout the Greek territory, which are not established by Presidential Decree, but by decisions of Prefects.
