Presidential decree clears path for Piraeus’ new City Hall

The decree amends the corresponding decree issued in November 2019, under which urban block 69/T.26 had been designated for the construction of a Courthouse. That designation has now been abolished and the site has once again been designated as a “Site for the Construction of a City Hall.”

The property occupies the urban block bounded by Kolokotroni, Vasileos Georgiou I, Iroon Polytechneiou and Dragatsi streets, in one of the city’s most central locations. It lies within the designated Historic Centre of Piraeus and, at the same time, within an archaeological site, factors that made the completion of the relevant institutional approvals necessary.

Approval for the change of use had previously been granted in June 2025 by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Piraeus and Islands, while the Piraeus Municipal Council and the Central Council for Urban Planning Issues and Disputes had also issued their opinions. The Presidential Decree was issued following Opinion 53/2026 of the Council of State.

The next step is the tender

The planning development is particularly significant as the Municipality has already advanced the preparation of a complex model for implementing and financing the project.

As presented in May at the 19th RED Meeting Point, the plan envisages a single tender procedure combining the construction of the new City Hall with the concession of the existing City Hall to a private investor for redevelopment.

The financing is expected to draw on three sources: public funding from the Region of Attica and the Municipality of Piraeus, private capital from the contractor, and revenues generated through the redevelopment of the existing City Hall. The financial model is also expected to take into account the rents currently paid by the Municipality to house its services across seven different properties.

The initial plan called for the tender process to begin during the summer of 2026. The issuance of the Presidential Decree in September now represents the latest institutional milestone for the property and definitively clarifies, at the urban-planning level, that the site is intended for the new City Hall.

From Courthouse back to City Hall

The development also brings to a close a cycle of changes in the designated use of the property. As early as 1972, the site had been designated for the construction of a City Hall. In 2019, the plan changed and the property was designated for the construction of a Courthouse. The new Presidential Decree reverses that decision, returning the site to its original purpose.

In the meantime, the Piraeus Courthouse has been assigned a different location, leaving the former Rallio School site available for the city’s new administrative hub.

The plan envisages consolidating within the new complex municipal services that are currently dispersed across different buildings. The new City Hall is also being designed to meet modern energy and environmental standards, with the aim of achieving LEED Gold certification.