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Renewable energy plants and the historic environment in Greece: policy and practice

2014; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 20; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/13556207.2014.985908

2326-6384

Ioannis Poulios, Maria Scalia,

Urban Planning and Valuation

AbstractThe present study examines the relationship between the development of renewable energy plants and the protection of the historic environment in Greece from the perspective of policy and practice and with an emphasis on the role of the State. First, the study examines the legal framework that regulates this relationship, with reference to three categories of regulations: (a) regulations for the protection of the historic environment in general; (b) European conventions for the protection of the historic environment in the context of development plans (conventions ratified by the Greek government), and (c) regulations for the protection of the historic environment in the context of renewable energy plants. The emphasis is on the procedure for the approval and implementation of renewable energy plants in relation to the historic environment. Then, specific case studies of renewable energy plants in Greece are presented. These case studies demonstrate a contrast between the regulated and the adopted procedures. A critical review follows, in an attempt to explain this contrast: gaps in the legal framework are identified, as well as cases in which the regulated procedures are not followed. It is shown that the state, though having a strict and long-established system for the protection of the historic environment in general and though ratifying European conventions for the protection of the historic environment in the context of development plans, proves unable to embrace renewable energy plants, leading to considerable failures. Moreover, the state does not seem to have learned from these failures over time. As a consequence, preventive protection is obstructed and even weakened.Keywords: renewable energy plantshistoric environmentlegislationpolicycultural heritage managementsustainable developmentGreece AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank Nicholas Stanley-Price, Davide Poletto, Nicholas Heath, and Chiara Ronchini for their insights into the reconciliation of the development of RE plants with the protection of the historic environment. Thanks also to Dora Konsola, Nicholas Karachalis, Nikos Zinas, Irini Marangos, and Dimitris Koutsiabasakos for their contribution to the collection of the material of the case studies; and to Giorgos Chondros for providing the photograph used in the text. Special thanks are owed to Irini Gratsia and Christos Pilafas for their remarks on earlier drafts.Notes on contributorsIoannis Poulios conducted PhD research on heritage management and sustainable development at University College London, and also attended MBA electives on business strategy and management at the London Business School. Ioannis has collaborated with the international heritage organisation ICCROM and with local Greek heritage organisations on the designing and implementation of innovative community-centred approaches to conservation that promote the sustainable development of local communities through the exploitation of their cultural heritage. He teaches at the Hellenic Open University (MSc programme on ‘Cultural Organisations Management’), and is also teaching at the UNESCO (Venice Office) annual School in Southeast Europe on Sustainable Energy Governance in World Heritage Sites. He has recently authored a book entitled The Past in the Present: A Living Heritage Approach – Meteora, Greece.Maria Scalia graduated from the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Athens and from the MSc programme on ‘Cultural Organisations Management’ of the Hellenic Open University. Maria has worked as a text editor in the private sector and as an archaeologist at the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. Her research interests focus on the archaeology of the Mediterranean region, industrial archaeology, and especially cultural policy and administration.Notes1. In the present study no distinction is made between terms such as ‘cultural heritage’ and ‘architectural heritage’; the term ‘historic environment’ is adopted.2. (see indicatively Poulios Citation2012a; Citation2011a; 2012b).3. The study focuses on the most important regulations and then relates them to the case studies, in an attempt to compare the regulated and the adopted procedures; an exhaustive analysis of all the relevant regulations is beyond the scope of the study.4. see also Christofilopoulos Citation2002: 195. Government Gazette 153/Α/28-6-2002: Greek government 2002a6. (Government Gazette 275/A/24-8-1932: Greek government Citation1932)7. (articles 12–17; see also Presidential Decree 191/10-6-2003: Greek government Citation2003)8. Examples of central offices of the Ministry of Culture: Central Archaeological Council, and the Central Council for Modern Monuments. Examples of local offices/Ephoreias: Ephoreias of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, Ephoreias of Byzantine Antiquities, Ephoreias of Modern Monuments, and Ephoreia of Underwater Antiquities.9. (Council of Europe Citation1985, and Government Gazette ΦΕΚ 61/Α/13-4-1992: Greek government Citation1992)10. (Greek literature: Papakonstantinou Citation1999; Christofilopoulos Citation2002: 21; Konsola Citation2004: 370; Technical Chamber of Greece Citation2005)11. (Council of Europe Citation1992, and Government Gazette 203/Α/19-8-2005: Greek government Citation2005),12. (Council of Europe Citation2000, and Government Gazette 30/Α/25-2-2010: Greek government Citation2010a)13. (Government Gazette 209/Α/21-9-2011: Greek government 2011)14. This law does not deal exclusively with RE plants; yet, given that RE plants are also subject to its provisions, it was decided to include it in the present section.15. Exception: for example, the siting of a plant entirely within urban/residential areas or settlement boundaries (article 4, paragraph 2).16. (Government Gazette 2464/Β/3-12-2008: Ministry of Environment 2008)17. The procedure for the approval and implementation applies to all development plans; in this section, however, it is specified exclusively with regard to RE plants. It is worth noting that for the stations for the production of electrical energy from RE – as an exception – no preliminary EIA is required (Government Gazette 85/Α/4-6-2010: Greek government Citation2010b, article 3, paragraph 1).18. (Government Gazette 160/Α/18-10-1986: Greek government Citation1986)19. (Government Gazette 91/Α/25-4-2002: Greek government Citation2002b)20. On the competent authorities to provide their opinion see Law 4014/20-9-2011 (Government Gazette 209/Α/21-9-2011: Greek government Citation2011), article 19. In the cases that the plant is sited within a forest area, the Forest Office must also provide its opinion.21. On the classification of the public and private plants see Ministerial Decision 1958/13-1-2012 (Government Gazette 21/Β/13-1-2012: Ministry of Environment 2012a) and the amending Ministerial Decision 20741/10-4-2012 (Government Gazette 1565/Β/8-5-2012: Ministry of Environment 2012β).22. On the most recent regulation see Law 4014/20-9-2011 (Government Gazette 209/Α/21-9-2011), article 1.23. Indicatively see Ministerial Decision 10427/ΕΥΠΕ/ΥΠΕΧΩΔΕ (Government Gazette 663/Β/26-5-2006: Ministry of Environment 2006), chapter C, article 9, paragraph ee.24. This project as a whole cannot be considered a RE project, but part of it is related to RE. Only the key phase of the project is presented; for further details on the case studies discussed here and also on further case studies from Greece, see Poulios Citation2012b; Citation2011b.25. (see in detail Konsola Citation2004; Technical Chamber of Greece Citation2005)26. (Kontrarou-Rassia 2011; Scalia Citation2011)27. (Scalia Citation2011)28. see Scalia 201129. (Poulios Citation2011a; Citation2014a; 2010; 2014b)30. (see Voudouri Citation2003: 208 and note 223)31. (see Konsola Citation2004: 370)32. On the importance of the time consistency regarding the publication of the findings of archaeological and other research activity, see English Heritage, Citation2009: 4 ‘INFORMATION SOURCES (Core data sources, Regional/County/Local Data sets, Other sources of information).’33. (Greek literature: Papakonstantinou Citation1999: 12 and 7)34. (see Papakonstantinou Citation2004: 7–9; Konsola Citation2004: 370)35. Further exceptions, in which the ‘Granada Convention’ was implemented, are provided by the cases of Zagani Hill in the area of the (new) International Airport of Athens (decision 2300/1997) and the revision of the city plan (decision 3113/1998) (see Konsola Citation2004: 370).36. (see Poulios Citation2012b; Citation2011b)37. (see Scalia Citation2011)38. (see Poulios Citation2012b; Citation2011b)39. (see English Heritage Citation2005: 4–7)40. (see English Heritage Citation2005: 7)41. (see Scalia Citation2011)42. (see also Poulios Citation2012b)