More controversy looming over metro extension’s invasion of Athens parks
As tension between residents and the contractors building the extension of the capital’s metro system mounts over the removal of dozens of trees in the downtown Athens district of Exarchia, another source of friction is developing in nearby Pangrati.
The looming controversy concerns Rizari Park, a 10,000-square-meter oasis abutting the Evangelismos subway station, where Elliniko Metro is planning to root up dozens of trees to make way for a construction site serving the Line 4 extension.
The idyllic park, an important source of cool and shade in the hot summer months, with tall trees and patches of lawn, was renovated and replanted in 2010 thanks to a 300,000-euro donation by the Nikolaos D. Pateras Foundation.
The prominent shipowner and businessman, who is also a resident of the area, has taken recourse to the Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court, demanding that Elliniko Metro scraps or amends its plans so the park can be saved.
In recent comments to the press, Pateras indicated that the contractor hired by Attiko Metro to carry out the extension’s construction wants an additional 50 million euros to move its construction site 70 meters north of the current location into another part of Rizari Park, on the junction of Vassileos Constantinou and Vassileos Alexandrou, with sparser tree coverage. The area where it is planning to dig right now is in the middle of the park’s greenest section, on the junction of Vassileos Constantinou and Rizari streets.
The Athens municipal authority, which owns the park, is expected to submit its official position to the Council of State on Thursday, while the Pateras Foundation, Ellliniko Metro and the Transport Ministry are expected to present the court with proposals on how the issue can be resolved before the court issues its final ruling.
In the area of Pangrati, metro works have already invaded a smaller park across the street from Vassileos Constantinou and a pocket park further east on Vassileos Alexandrou and Formionos.
