The demolitions of unauthorized buildings are being “frozen.”

The government is moving towards a “freeze” on the demolition of unauthorized buildings erected on forest land until the ratification of forest maps and effective solutions to the major issue of thousands of properties built in areas that were forest land many years ago. with the Ministry of Environment attempting to legalize the properties through road construction.

The decision on the areas to which this regulation will apply will be made once the forest maps have been drawn up, which the ministry aims to have ratified within the next three years, while the process will also be described in the draft law on forest maps, which will be submitted for public consultation in the coming days.

As Deputy Minister of Environment Yannis Tsironis pointed out yesterday in a briefing on forestry cooperatives, this is not a blanket “freeze” on demolitions, given that some forestry maps will be ratified earlier than the three-year period. It should be noted that a relevant amendment on the suspension of demolitions was withdrawn last November following the reactions it provoked.

When asked what will happen to illegal buildings that have already been deemed demolishable, the deputy minister said that “they have been deemed demolishable under current legislation. The new legislation may stipulate that an area can lose its forest character. If the forest character is removed, the demolition order is also lifted.”

In any case, the overall picture of an area will be taken into account, as, according to Mr. Tsironis, there may be final demolition decisions for five properties, but there may be many others nearby or adjacent that have changed character.