A major €5.7 million project to protect and reshape Heraklion’s vulnerable western waterfront has officially entered the Crete 2021-2027 funding program, paving the way for extensive coastal protection works around the Old Power Station and Dermatas Bay.
The project, titled “Coastal Zone Erosion Protection of the Old Power Station in Heraklion,” has a total budget of €5.716 million and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The Municipality of Heraklion is the project beneficiary, with the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion participating in its implementation.
At its core, the project is designed to tackle severe erosion and undermining along the coastline of Dermatas Bay and the area west of the Natural History Museum of Crete. But the intervention goes beyond coastal engineering. Once completed, it is expected to create two new urban beaches while improving a historically significant section of the city’s waterfront.
Protecting Heraklion from Coastal Erosion
The project will introduce two submerged breakwaters designed to reduce wave energy before it reaches the shoreline. Extensive beach nourishment and coastal reinforcement will then be carried out using suitable materials.
The planned beaches will extend for approximately 240 meters east and 170 meters west of the Natural History Museum of Crete.
The works are particularly significant for the historic fortifications of Heraklion, which face continued pressure from coastal erosion. According to Mayor Alexis Kalokairinos, the intervention is also linked to the broader effort to protect the Venetian Walls, making the project part of a larger strategy to safeguard the city’s historic waterfront.
“The project is lifesaving for the Walls themselves and for the coastal infrastructure,” Kalokairinos said, describing the future waterfront as a major change for Heraklion.
Two New Urban Beaches for the City
Alongside the coastal protection works, the project includes a substantial redesign of the public space around Dermatas Bay.
Plans call for new ramps, retaining walls, paved surfaces and pedestrian routes, together with extensive planting, irrigation infrastructure and new street lighting.
Existing infrastructure west of the Natural History Museum of Crete will also undergo maintenance and restoration.
The result is intended to be more than a reinforced coastline. The intervention will create two accessible urban beaches at the western end of the Agia Triada neighborhood, providing Heraklion with a new public waterfront space in an area long constrained by erosion and deteriorating infrastructure.
For Kalokairinos, this dual function is one of the project’s most important features. It will protect the city’s historic fabric while also returning part of the coastline to everyday public use.
Part of a Wider Waterfront Transformation
The new project is being implemented within Heraklion’s Sustainable Urban Development Strategy and is also connected to the city’s broader program for the protection and promotion of the Venetian Walls.
It forms part of a wider plan to transform Heraklion’s coastal front, alongside other major interventions already underway or being prepared.
Among them is the planned restoration and redevelopment of the historic Venetian shipyards, or Neoria, which is currently moving through the tendering process. A separate coastal fortification project at Bentenaki has already been contracted and is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Together, the projects point toward a gradual transformation of Heraklion’s waterfront, combining coastal resilience, heritage protection, public access and urban regeneration.
Climate Resilience Moves Up the Agenda
Arnaoutakis emphasized that protecting Crete’s coastline has become increasingly urgent as climate change intensifies extreme weather and coastal pressures.
“Today, the impacts of climate change are more intense and visible than ever,” the regional governor said, presenting the Dermatas Bay project as part of Crete’s broader effort to strengthen its urban coastal areas.
The Regional Governor also linked the Heraklion intervention to the urban regeneration program being implemented in the capitals of all four regional units of Crete, including Heraklion, Rethymno, Chania and Agios Nikolaos.
The Dermatas Bay project will also include all necessary archaeological investigations and works under the supervision of the relevant archaeological authorities, reflecting the area’s historic and cultural significance.
For Heraklion, the €5.7 million intervention represents a rare combination of defensive infrastructure and urban regeneration. A coastline threatened by erosion is set to become a more resilient and accessible part of the city, while the historic walls and surrounding heritage receive additional protection.
The project now moves from planning and funding toward implementation, bringing Heraklion closer to a major rethink of its western waterfront.
