Deadline for hotel near Acropolis to demolish extra floors

The Council of State, Greece’s highest administrative court, has given the Municipality of Athens three months to demolish the top two floors and roof terrace of the Coco-Mat hotel in the neighborhood of Makrigiannis near the Acropolis.

This came after the Supreme Court’s Compliance Council noted the municipality had failed to comply with a decision over two years ago by the CoS that annulled the building’s permit because it had not been approved by the Culture Ministry. That decision ruled that the 2017 permit and its 2019 revision – under which the building was erected with a height of 33 meters – was illegal. 

It had also criticized the state for not establishing special building conditions for the area around the Acropolis. It further held that the permit should have been issued by the Culture Ministry following a recommendation from the Central Archaeological Council (KAS), and not the Ephorate of Antiquities.