Greece’s municipal leaders are preparing a legal challenge against government plans affecting local planning authorities, arguing that proposed changes would strip municipalities of responsibilities tied to building permits and development oversight.
The board of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) is preparing to appeal to the Council of State as soon as the first administrative act concerning planning services is issued. A team of experts has already been assembled to examine the legal scenario.
Grigoris Konstantellos, KEDE’s first vice president and mayor of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, said the government is moving toward removing planning-service responsibilities from municipalities through a series of steps.
According to Konstantellos, the new local government code, whose public consultation ended last week and is expected to be voted on this month, omits provisions contained in Article 94 of Law 3852/2010 governing the issuance of building permits and development control through municipal planning services.
“The responsibilities concerning planning authorities are not explicitly said to be abolished, but they are not included, preparing the ground for new legislation,” Konstantellos told Kathimerini.
