On Aristidou Street, in the Artemida Salt Flats, near the football ground, there is an abandoned house. It is not simply neglected: since 2023, it has been officially classified as a building in danger of collapse, with a unanimous recommendation from a three-member committee of civil engineers that it must be demolished immediately.
Three years on, he is still in the same position.
The history of the case — from the first complaint by residents in the summer of 2015 to the ‘extremely urgent’ document of August 2026 — is documented by a series of official documents from the Regional Authority, the Municipality, the Building Authority and the Decentralised Administration, which were brought to light by spata-artemis.com.
2015: Mice, cockroaches and stagnant water
The case began on 17 August 2015, when residents of Aristidou Street contacted the Health Service of the Regional Unit of Eastern Attica. They reported an abandoned property with no electricity or water, and described rodents, insects, stagnant water and sources of contamination.
One week later, in its letter No. 3858/24 August 2015, the Directorate of Health Inspection and Environmental Hygiene noted dense vegetation that encourages the proliferation of rodents and insects. It requested that the site be cleared, any openings sealed and the area fenced off — and informed the Municipality of Spata-Artemida that it must take action if the property owner fails to do so.
In April 2016, a local resident wrote again to the then Deputy Mayor for Waste Management, Antonis Nomikos, referring to the document from the Regional Authority. Nothing changed.
2021–2022: The issue is now becoming a deadlock
This was followed by a new complaint, reference number 775545, on 21 September 2021, and an on-site inspection on 11 October 2021.
On 29 April 2022, in a new complaint (ref. no. 366946), the residents changed their tone: they were no longer speaking solely about hygiene. They describe the building as dilapidated and directly call for its demolition, expressing fears of an accident.
On 7 June 2022, the Region returns. It records rubbish, dense vegetation, dry grass and branches — and, crucially, explicitly refers the matter of structural risk to the relevant Building Department of the Municipality.
July 2023: ‘Do not enter — Dangerous building’
On 27 June 2023, 32 residents signed a petition addressed to the local council (ref. no. 19329).
A few days later, on 5 July 2023, the Building Authority formally initiated the procedure to inspect the unsafe building, and a sign was erected on the premises: ‘DO NOT ENTER — DANGEROUS BUILDING’.
On 19 July 2023, a decisive on-site inspection was carried out by a three-member committee of civil engineers. The report documents extensive cracking in the load-bearing walls, significant deterioration of the masonry and the collapse of part of the canopy.
The committee has unanimously concluded that the building is in a dangerously dilapidated state and requires immediate demolition, removal of the materials and clearance of the site. Until then, the local authority must prohibit access to the surrounding area.
The protocol was registered with the Municipality on 7 August 2023, under number 24396/2023.
From that point onwards, there is no longer any question as to whether the building is unsafe. There is an official engineering assessment to that effect.
2024: ‘We don’t have any machines’
Another year passes. On 13 September 2024, the municipality’s Technical Services Department states in writing that it does not have the appropriate mechanical equipment or the resources for the demolition, and requests that the matter be referred to the Decentralised Administration of Attica for assistance.
On 18 September 2024, the YDOM sent the file to the Decentralised Administration (ref. no. 35493).
January 2025: The Decentralised Administration settles the issue of jurisdiction
On 17 January 2025, the answer arrives, and it is unequivocal: the local authorities are responsible for the demolition of dangerous buildings.
The Decentralised Administration does not stop at simply making observations. It also suggests ways forward: cooperation with neighbouring municipalities for immediate implementation, or direct award of contracts, precisely because of the urgent nature of the matter. It also clarifies that, as this concerns a private building, responsibility lies primarily with the owner and, if the demolition is carried out by a public authority, the cost is borne by that authority.
August 2026: ‘Extremely urgent’ — and the Public Prosecutor’s Office
A year and a half later, nothing has been done.
On 21 August 2026, the Decentralised Administration responded with a document marked ‘EXTREMELY URGENT’ (ref. no. 54789). It reiterates this classification, reminds the Municipality of its responsibility and requests an update on the progress of the demolition.
The key difference lies in the recipients. The document is now also being forwarded to the Athens Public Prosecutor’s Office for First Instance, as well as to the Spata-Artemida Police Station. At the same time, the Mayor, as the administrative head, is asked to exercise oversight over his departments.
The question that remains
Eleven years after the first complaint was made, the question is not whether there is a problem — this has been established repeatedly and officially by three different authorities.
The question is why, after so many formalities, neither the demolition nor even the clearance of the site has taken place.
