A comprehensive development plan for the Helleniko site, which was submitted by consortium leader Lamda Development, does not include the obligatory transfer of the Athens FIR headquarters or a tram line that currently runs through the massive tract of land in coastal southeast Athens.
Submission of the plan to the Hellenikon S.A. entity is a mandatory requirement for the delay-plagued real estate development project to proceed, on paper, before actual construction begins. Hellenikon S.A. is a memorandum-mandated special purpose company created in March 2011 to manage and exploit the property and facilities where the one-time Athens airport operated, along with adjacent tracts of land.
The decision by Athens-based Lamda to keep the civil aviation authority office and the tram line in its strategic planning was met with relief by the relevant transport ministry, reports state.
Based on the submitted plan, the consortium pledged to cap new building construction at the site to 2.7 million square meters, although the maximum allowed building co-efficient allows for up to 3.6 million square meters. Some 60,000 square meters in preserved buildings, such as the old east airport terminal, are included, along with other facilities that currently house various utilities and state services, such as a tram depot, the civil aviation authority offices, the weather service, a power company sub-station and water utility facilities. Churches and chapels at the site will also not be transferred.
