Greece to suspend all building licenses in Caldera area of Santorini

Building licenses are to be suspended in the wider zone of the caldera on the island of Santorini and the small islet Therasia to protect them from landslides, Greek media reported citing the Environment Ministry which included a relevant clause in draft legislation published for public consultation.

The suspension concerns swimming pools, brand new buildings as well as the extension of existing buildings. At the same time, a two-year deadline was given to all tourist businesses operating in the caldera (from hotels to restaurants) to prepare a structural adequacy study. Furthermore, the local urban planning authority is mandated to check all building permits in the zone by the end of this year.

In April, a landslide occurred in Therasia, west of Santorini, having authorities to impose controlled access measures for local and tourists on certain parts of the the Cycladic island and the small islet. Fortunately, no injuries occurred but the landslide caused significant material damage to several stores located in the area.

Speaking on an ERT broadcast back then, the president of the Anti-Seismic Planning and Protection Organization (OASP), Efthymis Lekkas had stated among other things that “Santorini always has a high landslide risk in the caldera.”

More recently Lekkas told Kathimerini that after the landslide in April, “meetings of the intergovernmental committee were held specifically for Santorini and, next, the issue of the stability of the slopes of the caldera was examined.”

Santorini’s huge popularity has come at a price as the island is currently coping with the negative effects of overtourism. The island, with a year-round population just under 16,000, is just 76 km² and this summer as many as 17,000 holidaymakers a day came off cruise ships alone. Mayor Nikos Zorzos told The Guardian on Friday that more than 3.4 million tourists will visit in 2024.

With an estimated 80,000 hotel beds, Santorini has more per square metre than any other Greek tourist destination apart from Kos and Rhodes. According to the British newspaper’s report about a fifth of the Cycladic island has already been concreted over. Greek authorities approved even more building permits between 2018 and 2022, enabling construction on an additional 449,579 sq metres of terrain. Foreign-owned hotel chains and “strategic” tourism investors have led requests for the licences.