A “master plan” presented by the Cosco-managed Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) received a conditional “green light” by the municipality of Piraeus this week, with the city’s mayor, Yannis Moralis, saying the initiative is in the right direction.
“As the municipal authority we are in favor of (new) hotels that the PPA is planning to build,” he said, citing the direct prospect of at least two such units.
The municipality of Piraeus, the third largest by population in Greece, mostly encircles the port by the same name, which is the largest and busiest such facility in Greece. The PPA’s master plan is under review and debate by surrounding municipalities and social partners at present.
The relevant shipping minister and other officials attended a city council meeting in Piraeus on the issue on Tuesday.
In reference to the investment portion of the draft master plan, Moralis said his municipality is in favor of a new pier for cruise ships docking at the port, but opposed to the construction of a shopping mall within the Piraeus Port Authority’s premises – a commercial hub that will be open to all consumers and not just passengers passing through the terminals, according to the PPA.
Moralis warned that hotels, a mall and a proposed museum, all within PPA’s premises, will merely “coral” travelers within the port’s boundaries and leave little benefit for the port city’s merchants.
