The plans will turn an abandoned airport into a mega-resort (Image: LAMDA Development)
A project to create a “green city by the sea” including a huge mall, luxury housing, hotels, and offices has been slammed by locals who say it’ll become “a playground for the uber rich”.
Costing over £6billion and covering an area of 1,500 acres, the vast resort is set to have glamorous facilities including a casino, restaurants, and even a marina where mega-yachts can be moored. But some locals are concerned that the area will lose its identity and have slammed the plans as ‘tacky’.
The project will feature high-rise buildings which have been criticised by locals (Image: LAMDA Development)
The Ellinikon has been dubbed ‘Europe’s largest urban regeneration project’ and is set to transform Athens’ former Ellinikon international airport, which closed in 2001, into a green ‘15 minute city’ where cars are banned and its modern buildings are environmentally sustainable.
Artist’s impressions of the plans show a sprawling modern development along a sandy beach, flanked by skyscrapers with identikit apartment buildings and homes along the promenade. The plans certainly wouldn’t look out of place in Dubai, despite being built in Athens, one of the oldest cities in the world.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2024, local resident Peppy Koliakakou argued that “all Greekness will be wiped out”, adding that there are concerns that “this is a playground for the uber rich”. She went on to say: “I am worried that this will tarnish Athens and that it will turn the area into a tacky, mini Dubai.”
The former airport before construction (Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Social media posters have also given mixed views of the project. Some have praised the opening of new facilities, but on a post showing the construction of a tall building along the city’s skyline, one poster said: “We saw the skyscraper from the Acropolis and it does block a sweeping view of the sea”. They added: “I thought the low height uniformity of the city was nice before.”
Another commented: “The tower looks so out of place but at least the old airport area will be better and bring more people to the area.”
The plan is ambitious in scale, taking up a space that’s around the size of a small town, including a newly landscaped stretch of beach just over half a mile in length. Because of the car-free philosophy, over 30 miles of pathways and cycle tracks will be built, tramlines, plus it’ll be connected to the rest of Athens with two new metro stations.
A huge mall is also planned (Image: LAMDA Development)
The centerpiece of the project is the Riviera Tower, which at 200 metres high will become the country’s tallest building. It’ll offer 51 storeys of luxury apartments and penthouses with views across the Athen’s Riviera. There will also be two towers for a new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino development, and an office tower as part of a commercial area.
The Ellinikon Mall is also set to break records. Once open it’ll be the largest in Greece, and feature over 340 shops and restaurants over four floors. It’ll also have outdoor dining spaces and a cinema complex.
Developers believe that, once completed, the area will draw in one million tourists a year and create 85,000 new jobs for Athens. At the moment, The Ellinikon Sports Park and The Ellinikon Experience Park are open to the public. There’s also an Experience Centre where visitors can see interactive exhibitions about the future of Ellinikon, although they’ll need to book a free ticket in advance.
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This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
