Infrastructure Minister assures officials over coastal revamp

A radical overhaul of the southern Athens coast at Faliro Bay will be put to tender in December, Infrastructure Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said Friday at a meeting with officials from the municipalities affected by the scheme.

Chrysochoidis met with officials representing Moschato-Tavros, Kallithea and Palaio Faliro at the under-construction Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), an ambitious development designed to house Greece’s National Opera and Library, as well as sports and leisure facilities.

The plan to revamp the coastal strip that runs from Moschato-Tavros to Palaio Faliro stems from this project and foresees major changes to the area’s map, including the relocation of part of Poseidonos Avenue closer to the sea. Local authorities have expressed some misgivings about the scheme, foremost among which are concerns of traffic circulation problems arising from an increase in visitors to the area. There have also been complaints from residents that a planned 9-meter artificial hill spanning Poseidonos and providing a pedestrian link from the SNFCC to the coast will block their sea views.

Chrysochoidis assured the officials that their concerns will be addressed, adding that the plan – slated to cost 230 million euros – will be submitted to the European Commission for approval in October so that the tender for construction can be launched in December.