Council of State freezes work on Evangelismos metro station
The Council of State has upheld a petition to suspend work on Evangelismos station of the Athens metro’s extension until a proper technical and environmental impact report is filed.
The petition to the country’s highest administrative court was filed by the Nikolaos D. Pateras Foundation and Pateras himself, who funded the landscaping of Rizari Park, a large part of which would be razed – along with dozens of trees – for the construction of the new stop on the metro’s new Alsos Veikou-Goudi line. It asks that the construction site for the new station be relocated to a different section of the park with fewer trees.
In Wednesday’s decision, the court said the metro’s administration acted illegally by not including the report, which should have aimed at reducing the impact of the project on the park to the greatest extent possible. It added that the report should also include the forestry service’s opinions, and could improve the initial planning to benefit the park, without this being obligatory. [AMNA]
