Municipality of Athens

“At last we have begun.” With this phrase, the president of the amateur Panathinaikos, Panagiotis Malakates, began his statement in the press conference he gave together with the mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, yesterday at noon at the city hall of the capital on the subject of Double Redevelopment.

Doukas: “The project is gaining momentum – the building permit before the summer”

On the same wavelength and Mr. Doukas, who referring to the course of construction of the Panathinaikos stadium pointed out: “The project is gaining momentum. We are fully aware of the responsibility and effort required in the immediate future. The work has already started. Our crews are proceeding with the preparatory cleaning and demolition works and the contractor will be installed in the field in the next few days. And I say this with great joy and responsibility, towards the citizens of Athens and the friends of Panathinaikos. Therefore, we can say that the systematic effort we made, to intervene in all these open fronts that we received and to put them in line one by one, is bearing fruit”.

Regarding the permit for the new stadium, the Mayor of Athens emphasized: “We are in the phase of receiving the pre-approval for the permit, we are also proceeding with the demolitions. I think that we will be able, before the summer, to have the normal approval of the license so that the foundation of the stadium can proceed as well.”

The two men also referred to the timetables, saying that both the Amateur stadium and the football stadium will be ready for use in 2026. “The main goal is 2026, both stadiums should be ready for use in 2026. This is the our main commitment” specifically stated Mr. Doukas.

Optimism in the wells – “The Panathinaikos stadium will be built”

And in the wells that were formed before and after the press conference, the municipality officials were optimistic about the progress of the project. “We managed to revive a project that was in a coma. Now we will solve any obstacle that may arise. The stadium of Panathinaikos will be built,” said a municipal executive in a discussion. For their part, the experienced reporters of Panathinaikos, who have been following the development, or rather the lack of development in this specific project since 2005, when it was first presented, also seemed optimistic. “The conditions are better than ever” said an experienced reporter, while some also remembered the cormorants that once put a brake on the Double Redevelopment project.

Deputy Mayor of Infrastructure: “We have rescheduled the project – We are proceeding smoothly with the aim of delivering it within the deadlines”

For his part, the Deputy Mayor for Infrastructure of the Municipality of Athens, Andreas Grammatikogiannis, in his statements to BIMA was clear: “The main goal that was set from the beginning was to get this project out of the coma. Right now it is proving that a lot of work we have done in the past is starting to pay off. The goal is from the moment the work starts to meet the deadlines and deliver the project as quickly as possible. We took the project to another level than it should have been but managed to pull it off. The question of financing both the cleaning of the surrounding area and for the stadium area has been resolved. The works will start in the next period. We can all be optimistic.”

In the context of the press conference, Haris Doukas did not fail to mention the general upgrading of the area for the benefit of residents and visitors, noting: “We are talking about 215 acres of greenery, about one and a half times the size of the National Garden or about the size of the Areos Field. The Sacred Way is being reformed, which will now be much wider for planting and pedestrian traffic as well as a bicycle path. In other words, a bike ride in Eleonas, We want it to be a new habit that we are preparing for the Athenians and visitors to the city”. “Regarding the Avenue” added Mr. Doukas, “we are closer than ever to the creation of the largest urban park ever built in Athens, thanks to the help of Panathinaikos”.

“Time is my biggest fear – In constant communication with the relevant ministries”

As for what scares him most about the project, the Athens mayor was clear: “Time. That it is a very complex project, with sub-projects required. Greenery, infrastructure, rain, water, two facilities, two additional municipal and cultural facilities. Too many crews that will have to work together and all this will have to be done in the agreed place. So time is a sprint in a marathon. We have to run like crazy, although we have a very long time, to reach our goal.”

Finally, to a question about whether there is a case of needing new legislative regulations or new financial excesses, as it turned out even if the project was considered legally “shielded” initially, the mayor of Athens replied: “It is complex task, very complex, as it is in other projects that are done all over the planet. Arrangements have been made for the extra parking spaces, specifically for 450, and we are waiting for pre-approval regarding the demolitions and we are waiting for the overall permit. We are going step by step to move forward and we are in constant communication with the relevant Ministries.