Lygginou Area

History

The Lygginou area includes three consecutive beautiful beaches that end in emblematic capes colored by lava and are surrounded by agricultural and pasture land that belongs to the off-plan areas of Patmos.

With presidential decree ‘Δ621, 2001, a Zone of Residential Control was established for the areas outside the settlement limits, pre-existing in 1923.

The areas outside the plan are not intended, in principle, for building.

Building is only permitted exceptionally and under strict conditions, which may not be more favorable than those applicable to areas within the urban plan, nor may they lead to the equating of areas outside the urban plan with those within the urban plan or to the de facto creation of new settlements without an approved urban plan.

Despite the legislation, in 2010, the area was divided into 11 plots, after a prior decision by the Municipal Council of Patmos had given permission to the owner of the disputed area to widen the previously existing path at his own expense.

It is also noted that, under the article 24 of Law 1337/1983, “the preservation and maintenance of the existing network of pedestrian paths and trails is required”.

The Hellenic Society for the Environmental and Cultural Heritage stood against the looming land development of the area, and by appealing to the Council of State in 2018, succeeded in annulling the decision of the Municipal Council and declared the building permits that had been issued illegal (Council of State decision 962/2018).

Since then, a) a ruling, also condemning, has been issued by the Administrative Court of Appeal of Piraeus, in 2018, and b) a new ruling- a response to an appeal by an aggrieved owner – has been issued by the Council of State, which categorically reminds everyone that paths and old rural roads do not provide legal facing to neighboring plots of land and therefore building on them is illegal (Council of State 176/2023).

Unfortunately, despite repeated court decisions, the owner and the new buyers have issued permits and built new residences , while they have proceeded to open internal roads leading to the “main” building.

The competent authorities (Kalymnos Urban Planning Department, Patmos Municipality, Patmos Police) have not defended the court decisions.

The old, dirt, rural path, 1.5 m wide, has been transformed into a 6-8 m wide avenue, electrified along its entire length by the Municipality and cemented over a large part of it, despite the relevant orders of the Ephorate of Modern Monuments.

Furthermore, along the entire length of the area, there is no access to the beach for citizens, and the irony of the case is that in his initial request, the owner of the disputed area requested permission from the Municipality “at his own expense to widen the narrow path… to make it easier for bathers to reach the beach.”

Relevant publications

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