The owners of unplanned plots of less than 4 hectares will (finally) have until December 9th to issue a building permit.

According to Insider.gr sources, despite the fact that pressure was exerted both by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by organizations and citizens to extend the deadline by at least two years, the government insists on meeting the deadline in December but with some facilities.

These will concern, according to the same sources, a regulation which will enable the owners of the small plots to reserve the right to use the deviations with more simplified procedures, i.e. fewer supporting documents.

The non-necessity of submitting a full architectural study, as estimated by sources, will free the hands of thousands of owners who have such plots but have not had time to obtain a building permit.

It is recalled that with Law 4759/2020, the conditions for off-plan construction had been modified and the derogations that allowed construction on plots of less than four acres had been abolished, giving, however, a window of time for the issuance of a building permit for even smaller ones.

Initially, the law provided for a one-year grace period for small properties, but after intense political pressure, a grace period of one more year was given, i.e. until December 9, 2022.

Now, after the end of December 9, the owners of such areas (750, 1,200 and 2,000 square meters) will not be able to issue a building permit and will have to, in order to make use of their property, wait for the preparation of the Local or Special Town Planning Plan (TPS or EPS) of the area, which will determine the building conditions and permitted land uses.

Why an extension will not be granted - What does the relevant ministry say?

According to competent officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the issue is political. Speaking a few days ago at a conference in Crete, the General Secretary of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment Efthymis Bakoyannis confirmed that the government has no intention of granting an extension so far.

"This issue is being examined, I understand the reasons why the extension is requested, indeed there was a period that had to do with an under-functioning of urban planners and building services). These are issues that we have recorded and by the date of completion a political decision will be made as to whether or not an extension will be granted. Until today, the directive we have is that no extension will be given," he said.

Reactions from the agencies

However, citizens and organizations such as the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) tried to keep the issue of the extension alive, which in its resolution states that:
"With Law 4759/2020, the building conditions for off-plan building were amended and transitional provisions were established until the abolition of the possibility of building on specific properties with an area of ​​less than 4 acres. A transitional period of 2 years was given for the validity of deviations in off-plan building for small plots. After the end of this period, construction will be allowed in non-planned areas only with a minimum area of ​​4 acres.

Therefore, after December 9, 2022, the possibility of deviating the construction of stadiums in the non-planned areas of the entire country is definitively abolished. They will have the right to build, only those owners who issue a pre-approval building permit before the deadline and for as long as their building permit is valid.

This means that with the expiration of the above date, almost all properties with an area of ​​less than 4 acres will permanently lose the possibility of building and therefore will be completely devalued.

In an environment with the well-known health consequences of the previous months and general economic instability combined with soaring construction costs and the energy crisis, it is almost impossible for small property owners to capitalize on their assets.

The State must, in these very difficult economic conditions, to preserve the right to use the citizens' property.

The legislative solution for deviating off-plan construction should be implemented after the completion and delivery of the urban planning studies financed by the "Kon/nos Doxiadis" urban planning reform program, in accordance with the binding provisions in place to finance the studies from the Recovery Fund .

The transitional solution to the problem faced by thousands of properties, in view of the complete ban on building on the so-called small plots, in the off-plan areas of the whole country, can only come through the granting of an extension to the issuance of building permits on the exceptionally small plots - off-plan for at least two years and until the completion of the urban plan.

SOURCE: michanikos-online.gr