Off-Plan Building: The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Roads Timeline and the Trap of "Blind" Plots

In an official response to the Dodecanese MP Manos Konsolas, the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEE) clarifies the situation regarding the identification of roads in areas outside the plan. Despite the specific dates, the wording remains carefully vague, leaving hundreds of thousands of property owners in a state of waiting.

1. The Critical Milestones of 2026

According to the Secretary General of Spatial Planning, Efthimios Bakoyannis, the registration of the road network is progressing as follows:

• Insular Greece: The registration has been completed and is already under control.

  
  

• Mainland Greece, Evia & Crete:

  
  

• Completion of registration: June 30, 2026.

  
  

• Completion of control: August 30, 2026.

  
  

• Presidential Decree (PD): The framework of criteria is expected around the end of 2026, subject to control by the Council of State (CoS).

2. The Problem: Why do plots of land remain “hostage”?

The paradox of the Greek countryside remains: plots of land under 4 acres, which have access to paved roads, PPC and water supply networks, are considered “blind”.

The reason: These roads lack legal recognition as shared municipal roads. Without a recognized road, the issuance of a building permit is impossible, even though owners continue to be taxed for properties that the market devalues ​​due to legal uncertainty.

3. The Procedure and the “Thorns” of the Regulation

• The recognition is based on Law 3937/2011 (as in force) and includes:

  
  

• Recording by municipal unit.

  
  

• Sanction by the Coordinator of Decentralized Administration based on aerial photographs before 27.7.1977.

  
  

• Exceptionally, recognition of individual roads through a special technical study until final sanction.

  
  

The “Gray Points” of the Response:

The 1977 Barrier: The mandatory existence of the road in aerial photographs before 1977 risks leaving thousands of roads that were opened legally or semi-legally in recent decades out of regulation.

The Absence of a Timeline for Sanction: The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport determines when the inspection ends, but not when the final sanction (the act that gives legal value to the road) will take place.

The Council of State Factor: The Council of State has historically maintained a strict stance on off-plan construction. Any involvement in the PD could blow up the 2026 timetable.

4. Impact on the Market

For Owners & Investors: The value of real estate remains “frozen”. Anyone who buys today is essentially betting on the successful issuance of the PD within 2027.

For Engineers: Until the PD is issued, the only solution remains the difficult and costly path of “individual recognition”, which is applied unevenly by local administrations.

Conclusion: The Ministry of Economic Affairs' response provides a roadmap, but the "sustainable solution" promised by the government remains dependent on the dispositions of the Council of State and the strict milestone date of 1977.