Court rules against building height bonus

A new decision of the Fifth Section of the Council of State deems unconstitutional not only the height increases based on the bonus included in the new building regulation but also the exemption from the calculated building factor of various spaces such as lofts and bay windows ("hidden" factor) as they lead to larger buildings, at the expense of the residential environment. Like previous rulings, the case was referred for final judgment to the plenary.

The decision came after an appeal by the Quality of Life Committee of the southern Athens suburb of Alimos against a specific permit for the construction of a seven-story building with a height of 21.6 meters - instead of the maximum height of 14 meters in the area. Further, the building would eventually reach 916.90 sq.m. (of which 231.56 sq.m. would correspond to an attic, bay window and other spaces, which the new building...