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After years of delay, the new Panathinaikos stadium has been given its biggest push forward with the issuance of a building permit to mark what the Mayor of Athens described as an historic day for both the club and the city.
Haris Doukas, Mayor of Athens, praised the permit as a pivotal step in the progress of the 40,000-seat stadium which is part of a larger urban redevelopment project for the district of Votanikos.
“This is a historic day for Panathinaikos,” Doukas commented in a social media post following the announcement on Tuesday, saying that it represents the culmination of eight months of hard work by the municipal authority to get the long-delayed project off the ground.
The City of Athens stated it is the “the largest and most complex local government project ever undertaken in our country” in its official announcement on Tuesday.
Panathinaikos remarked that it is a “special day” for the club in an official announcement, with the approval being a basic condition for the implementation of the project.
Photo: Athina Psila/FacebookThe club stressed that there are still many important stages to go through and expressed their confidence that the relevant bodies overseeing the entire scheme will work hard to have the stadium ready by its forecasted 2026 opening.
The announcement from the Municipality of Athens specified further actions in relation to the project.
The former Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, also remarked on the building permit as a momentous occasion for the project that has been years in the making.
He said in his own announcement that “with the issuance of the construction permit for the new Panathinaikos stadium, a big step is taken towards the completion of an emblematic project for the capital”.
A notable point of the scheme is that construction of the new stadium also entails the demolition of Panathinaikos’ historic home, Leoforos Alexandras ground, the license for which has also been granted, the municipal authority said.
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