TEF: “Long live May” for the announcements about the reconstruction

In a cloudy landscape, the famous reconstruction of the TIF continues and remains, which, as seen in the issue of delays and procrastination, now competes on an equal footing with the Thessaloniki Metro. The new announcements from the government are theoretically expected in May, but for now there is no clear picture of the financing model, which, as everything shows, will be a public-private partnership (PPP).

The issue of TIF has been “dragging” for more than a decade, while the preliminary study and the architectural plan for its reconstruction have been ready for 2 years. The biggest problem, however, is the financing model and obviously finding investors for the business center, the hotel and the underground parking, while the front with the municipality of Thessaloniki, which claims more than 60% of the 180-acre area for the creation of of a single metropolitan park.

The financing model, which until recently was on the discussion table for the “new TIF”, roughly predicted the cost of the project at around 300 million euros, of which 200 million would come from state funds and 100 million from the participation of investors. At the same time, the public would retain control over the exhibition operator while a significant part of the redevelopment, approximately 60 acres, would be attributed to the city as green space.

However, this scenario, according to information and related publications, has recently been called into question. In other words, it has not been clarified who and how much will pay, as well as the model that will provide guarantees of the project’s viability. The information indicates that the government does not rule out, or is discussing, changing the design and reducing the state participation to 1/3, with an increase in the participation of private investors to 200 million euros, which may pave the way for investors to participate and in the exhibition part.

This possible “change”, which will essentially give the Report to the private sector, is expected to meet with many reactions and perhaps that is why the government is delaying the announcements, which were expected from the beginning of the year. The plan to renovate the TIF has already caused many reactions, as for many years in the city, the idea of ​​moving the exhibition body outside the city had been cultivated, with the dominant proposal facing the West, while the place of the TIF would be occupied by the metropolitan city ​​park.

Tzikas: We don’t have anything concrete, in 10-20 days at the latest…

The president of TIF-Helexpo, Tasos Tzikas, is optimistic that the situation is favorable and the reconstruction of TIF will proceed, but at the same time he appears cautious, admitting that the project is delayed because he has not clarified the financial model.

Speaking to Parallax, he emphasized that “we have submitted the proposals and have been ready for two years with the study in hand. The project is studied, the situation is positive and there is a consensus in the city for the redevelopment”, but he hastened to note that “meetings (with the government) are still pending and that is why everything has gone backwards”.

Regarding the financing model, he implicitly admitted that it is the major issue and the cause of the delays. “We don’t know the various scenarios for how much money the state will invest. But this is the big issue and I believe the model will be ours, that is, we go with PPP and co-financing with the money that the public and the private sector will put in for the business center. Also, I think the exhibition has been resolved based on our own insistence and proposal, that the public nature of TIF should remain and that the Exhibition should remain in the city” he emphasized while stating that “I hope that in 10-20 days we will have announcements”.

However, he pointed out that “we have to look at the details because sometimes the difficult problem lies in the details”. He added that on the issue of the creation of the metropolitan park, the negotiation with the municipality is ongoing.

Workers: Yes to regeneration without job losses

For their part, the 60 or so employees of TIF are in favor of the reconstruction and in favor of the public nature of the exhibition body while stressing that the reconstruction cannot mean a loss of jobs.

The president of the TIF employees’ association, Panagiotis Hatziioannou, emphasizes that “the reconstruction will give new life to the organization”, but notes that “the delay recorded costs the organization developmentally, as the exhibition sector is moving forward, especially in the Balkans where new exhibition halls are being built centers, like in Serbia”.

As he claims, “the new TIF will help the overall development of the city, but we workers are not in favor of regeneration at any cost”. “The reconstruction of the TIF does not mean that the city’s fillet should be granted to the private person, thoughtlessly, without terms and conditions”, he emphasizes and points out that “there must be protection of the public character of the institution, with the guarantee of jobs”.

“The TIF is not for sale as a plot of land” he emphasizes and opposes its transfer outside the city, as he argues “outside the city west or east, the infrastructure does not exist to support a modern competitive exhibition body”.

Municipality of Thessaloniki: We want 100 acres for a metropolitan park

At the same time, however, the reaction of the municipality of Thessaloniki, regarding the negotiation for granting, through the redevelopment, a large percentage of the plot of the TIF to the city as a green space, makes an impression.

As stated by an official of the municipality’s administration, an associate of the mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, “we are claiming the return to the city of at least 100 acres, bordered by dense vegetation and not a fig tree there and a flower bed beyond”.

“When we say metropolitan park, we mean a single space, delimited and not a general and vague green space”, they emphasize from the city hall of Thessaloniki, implying that they will not agree to a “zoning of TIF, with a lot of green in between”.

Citizens’ Movement for the Metropolitan Park: No real estate in TIF

The citizens of Thessaloniki who make up the Citizens’ Movement for the Metropolitan Park in the area of ​​the TIF and the Sustainable Development of Thessaloniki” consider that the delays that are occurring are clearly due to the attempt to develop housing for the TIF through the pharaonic, as they characterize it, redevelopment project.

In their statement they emphasize that “for anyone who follows the development of the environmentally destructive plan, it was obvious from the beginning that the treatment of the site, like TIF, as a plot of land for reconstruction in terms of real estate, was a destructive plan for Thessaloniki, the city with less green in Europe, would lead to a dead end, due to the inherent contradictions.

And this is because the provision to the investor of financially remunerative facilities within the TIF area, such as a hotel, shopping and business center etc., would not leave sufficient green spaces, much more would not leave room for the creation of a Metropolitan Park, which it is absolutely necessary but also foreseen for the densely built-up city center. The architectural plans that the Administration of TIF presented with such pride showed in the most dramatic way the nightmarish building volume of the facilities, in contrast to the minimal outdoor public space, the closed park on the side of HANTH and what is left of Angelaki”.

They conclude that “based on the new data, it is time for the Government, Region, Municipality, TIF Administration, Chambers and all others involved, to review their position, and by adopting an economically feasible and environmentally acceptable approach, faster in implementation, to give the city what it deserves and what society demands:

A true Metropolitan Park, green and recreational, with modern exhibition facilities in the transformed remarkable existing buildings, for light exhibitions, part of the post-war history of the city, which will not create a particular nuisance and will not burden the environment, in an area where the gas pollution with toxic particles, is officially classified as hazardous to health, while moving the heavy exhibition activities to a new site in the west of the city, as was always the plan of the city, long before the climate crisis and its threats appeared.