Eye: From absolute destruction to a new model settlement

The Ministry of Internal Affairs is on the final stretch for final approval regarding its new design of the fire-affected area in Mati Atticawith a now visible result, as the goal is from total destruction, the area to be turned into a model settlement.

As the ministry announced: “This year’s sad anniversary of the deadly fire of July 23, 2018 that led to the painful loss of 103 human lives – but also to the destruction of thousands of properties – this time coincides with the completion period, in record time, of a new institutional framework for the revival of the area, the completion of the planning of a new settlement and the treatment of dozens of pathologies that plagued the area for decades” is characteristically underlined.

Design in record time

According to the Ministry of the Interior, “the government took the initiative, as a moral obligation of the state towards the victims and survivors, to proceed with the planning of a new settlement, in standard terms, in record time. And indeed, with the cooperation of all parties involved, under the coordination of the presidency of the government, with the staff role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the executive arm of the Technical Chamber of Greece, a project that in other cases in the past has progressed in almost 2 years (so far) required from 10 to 30 years”.

The fire-stricken area already has a so-called city plan, i.e. a fully approved and institutionalized – with the approval of the Council of Ministers – a Special Urban Planning Plan that describes in detail the uses, the organization of the space and the urban planning directions of a new model settlement.

“The task of approving this design was titanic, given the need to adapt an area with existing buildings and many pathogens in terms of sustainable development for the future, with resilience and a green label”, it is underlined.

“Without delay and with rapid procedures, the Ministry of the Interior, in collaboration with the TEE, immediately proceeded to the second stage of planning, i.e. the preparation of the Regional Implementation Plan for the area, which concerns planning at plot level and with planning on the ground for each property and common space’.

As it became known, the Drainage Implementation Plan is currently being completed – with the participation of the residents – and its environmental licensing is expected within the year, so that the final stage, which is the issuance of the final Ministerial Decision, by the Deputy Minister of the Environment and Energy, Nikos Tagaras, who will complete the urban planning at the level of each plot.

K. Skrekas: The Eye will become more beautiful than before

As the Minister of Energy and Environment Costas Skrekas characteristically stated: “The reconstruction of the fire-damaged area in Mati, was from the beginning an irrevocable commitment of our government which we act responsibly. We are proceeding step by step with the operation of restoring the area to the state it was in before the tragic events of 2018. The Special Town Plan that was completed and the Drainage Plan that is in the finalization phase pave the way for the urban regeneration of the area with respect for the Environment. Our dead fellow citizens, the destruction of residents’ properties, the incalculable environmental burden, force us to complete this effort as soon as possible. The Eye will be as beautiful again as it was before the devastating fire, and even more beautiful.”

N. Tagaras: Standard work as a moral obligation

For his part, the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Nikos Tagaras stated: “We are studying and implementing in practice, neighborhood by neighborhood, plot by plot, a new, greener, safer future for the fire-stricken area in Mati. It is an act of moral obligation of the State towards the 103 dead in the deadly fire of 2018. It is an act of responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs towards the damaged properties and the natural wealth of the region. It is a commitment of the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis that is being implemented. We have already completed the Special Town Planning Plan for the area, that is, there is now, after 60-70 years of existence of the settlements, an organized town plan. We are moving forward and completing the Flow Plan, i.e. the implementation of the general plan per street and block, so that the Implementation Act, i.e. the detailed plan per plot, will follow by the end of the year. In this way, the urban regeneration of the martyred area, environmental protection and dealing with the consequences of the great natural disaster take shape. In addition, the Government’s plan, with the support of the Republic of Cyprus, for the construction of social housing for fire victims is now being implemented and on track for implementation. We don’t stop at any difficulty and solve decades-old problems. The area in Mati and the planning that is being done, in record time for the Greek State, gives us valuable lessons to complete the urban planning throughout the country, as we have committed.”

G. Stasinos: Urban planning in standard terms for the entire country

As mentioned by the president of the TEE, George Stasinos, he said: “The TEE assumed the responsibility, for the first time in its history, to assist the state in the preparation and completion of urban planning in an entire region, with standard conditions for the entire the country. It was a moral obligation to the victims and those affected by the devastating fire that we, the entire technical world of the country, come to the rescue so that a new day for the long-suffering settlement can be advanced in record time. So that those who live in Mati and those who visit the area can have a better future, in terms of sustainability and resilience. The completion of urban planning in less than 4 years, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Interior, TEE and researchers, is a feat that we believe will be accomplished in a few months. And the conclusions we draw from Mati are already helping to advance urban planning throughout the country.”

RES-EMP

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