Piraeus Master Plan Gets 10-day Extension for Deliberation

Piraeus. Photo Source: Municipality of Piraeus

A master plan submitted last month by the Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) for the revamp of the country’s largest port has generated concerns by the affected municipalities which must be examined before it is approved, the Port Planning and Development Committee said on Tuesday, extending the period for public deliberation by 10 days.

“Given that the consultation procedure for the submitted PPA master plan has not been fully implemented, the committee considers it appropriate to complete it within 10 working days, by March 3, 2018. To this end, consultation bodies should be provided with the necessary material in order to be able to comment on them,” the committee said.

Photo credit: Municipality of Piraeus

According to the concession agreement, the PPA is required to consider the proposals made by affected municipalities but not obligated to adopt these. However, should the PPA accept the proposals, it will be required to submit an amended plan providing explanation for those rejected.

At the same time, shipping ministry sources told the Athens News Agency that the plan is bound to run into obstacles as a series of environmental impact studies must be approved before it can get the green light. The same sources expressed optimism however that the ambitious plan will move ahead in three months’ time after issues tabled by municipal authorities are addressed.

Upgrade works budgeted at some 500 million euros as laid out in the master plan aim to establish the port into the largest shipbuilding base in the eastern Mediterranean, with the capacity of servicing up to 450 vessels a year, including mega yachts. They also include the construction of four new hotels – among these the landmark “Pagoda” building – a new cruise terminal accommodating up to six cruise ships and a shopping center next to the new cruise terminal.