Further restrictions have been imposed on construction activity around Mount Parnitha, northwest of Athens, following a decision by the Council of State made public yesterday.

The ruling dismissed as illegal half of the provisions of a presidential decree that would allow further building activity in the area. The decree, made public by Environment Minister Giorgos Souflias in February, had been pitched as an initiative to preserve Attica’s largest remaining piece of forestland.

Planned initiatives deemed illegal include the extension of the Kiourka village, construction on land used by the Orthodox Church and the National Bank of Greece for children’s summer camps, the construction of a new building to house a local monastery and further construction on the former royal estate at Tatoi.

Decrees issued to protect the environment “should not determine new uses for land or permit an increase in existing buildings and activities,” the court noted.