Real estate: Church’s sought after “filettes” and the “conflicts” that cause

In recent years, both foreign and Greek investors have been interested in the untapped “filettes” of the Southern Suburbs belonging to the . More intense interest is there for the free areas of the Archdiocese of Athens in Vouliagmeni, which gradually come out in competition for their use. This is a process, however, which has experienced several difficulties, as the Church has found the Municipality of Varis, Voulas, Vouliagmenis against it, which calls for some of these areas to remain green areas. The most recent example is a property of the Church, which is located in the area of the Great Crab in Vouliagmeni and is considered the ultimate “fillet”. Specifically, it is an area of 45 acres across from Star Vouliagmenis, for which Petrakis Monastery declared a competition before days, inviting investors to show interest in order to acquire this property for about 99 years. According to the announcement, the Holy Monastery will always retain the right of ownership on its territory for the use of land, while the investor will have the right to property over buildings that will be erected at his own expense. The property, as it appears, is intended for the establishment of a hotel unit for which the investor – apart from the annual price – should also pay an additional amount on the turnover. However, the problem with this property, which is the main reason the Municipality of Varis, Voulas, Vouliagmenis reacts to, is that it is urbanly illustrious and there is no agreement between the Municipality and the Church until today, so that it can acquire land uses and terms of construction. The Church, however, makes it clear to candidates that they will take on the weight of its urban maturation, while warning them about the number of outstanding issues that are borne by these areas. The Municipality asks for the concession of about 35% of these areas in order to maintain as green areas, as after the temporary suspension of licenses, which use the NOK bonuses, it will not let major developments be created. Of course, this is not the first time that the Archdiocese of Athens has opposed the Municipality. “Milon of contention” was in 2023 the Orphanage of Vouliagmeni, which is located near the Star Vouliagmenis. The Church and then took out this property in competition, resulting in the hands of the shipowner Victor Restis, who had become known at the time, planned to exploit the area in order to build mild environmentally luxurious houses and a small tourist unit. At the same time, from various sides, including the Municipality of Varis Voulas Vouliagmenis, issues of legitimacy arose from the beginning of the process, due to the public nature of the property. To date, however, it appears that no plan to exploit the infamous area has been carried out, with many doing so because nothing else can be done there, apart from investment in public use. Another church property, which is expected to be exploited, is what the Olympic Technician acquired months ago. This area is located in an extremely privileged location, below the hill of Faskomilia and very close to the Lake of Vouliagmeni. The company has undertaken the construction of a residential complex, as it is known to be known that residential properties in the South are particularly sought after by prospective buyers despite the high prices of the area. At the same time, last October the Ecclesiastical Central Finance Service announced a public open auction for a three-storey apartment building owned in the same area. This property is located on Thalia Street and at number 47 – 49, within the financial block 58. As explained in the notice, the minimum price offered for the property is set at EUR 3.5 million. It is a three-story apartment building with a pyloti and a building ending with a total area of 864.12 sq.m. on a plot with an area of 1,548.95 sq.m.