A €5m investment being pursued on Kefalonia by businessman Dionysis Koumoudos, through Ionian Sun, has taken another significant step towards realisation, with plans for a new five-star hotel with a capacity of 170 beds.
A decision issued on 5 November by the Decentralised Administration of Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian approved the environmental conditions for the construction and operation of the hotel at the site known as “Georgoutsia or Boureika”, in the Lourdata area of the Municipality of Argostoli.
The issuance of the Approval of Environmental Terms (AEPO) marks the completion of a key stage in the permitting process, clearing the way for the project to move forward.
The investment plan
According to the decision, the new hotel complex will be developed on a 15,100 sq m site outside the boundaries of the Lourdata settlement, more than 200 metres from the sea.
The plans provide for the construction of 16 standalone buildings, with a total floor area of 3,008.59 sq m, divided into seven different types according to their design and function.
The facilities include two-storey buildings with roofs, single-storey structures with partly subterranean sections, rooms and suites, as well as shared facilities.
In particular, the complex will have reception and dining areas, a 250 sq m conference centre, 220 sq m of spa and wellness facilities, swimming pools and landscaped outdoor areas.
The environmental permitting process examined, among other things, the hotel’s water supply needs, the management of liquid waste and the planned wastewater treatment infrastructure.
The decision sets out daily water requirements of 140 cubic metres, to be met by the municipal network, and includes the construction of a tertiary wastewater treatment plant.
During the environmental permitting process, the Ionian Islands Regional Council issued a positive opinion by majority, subject to conditions. The relevant authorities also gave positive opinions, subject to conditions where required.
Ionian Sun’s plans
The new investment is part of the Koumoudos family’s tourism business, which is associated with the F Zeen Kefalonia and F Zeen Athens hotels.
Dionysis Koumoudos had also made headlines over the investment planned at Sarakiniko on Milos, through Unique Developments, which sparked controversy and led the Environment Ministry to intervene to halt work and inspect the building permit.
Ionian Sun is also planning another hotel, this time in the heart of Athens.
As for the new project on Kefalonia, the initial plans also provide for the possibility of an operational link between the hotel and an adjacent plot owned by Ionian Sun, where the development of furnished tourist residences with a capacity of 40 beds had been planned.
Under the initial timetable, the new hotel is expected to operate seasonally, while construction was estimated to take 24 months.