The residents and the local authority of Sotiras accused the Department of Environment for vindictive and anti-social behavior which resulted in the exclusion of the Sotiras beach front from any tourist development.
At the pan-municipal protest rally organized by the Municipality of Sotiras last night, against decisions of the Department of the Environment that pose obstacles to the development of the three-kilometer beach front, a large number of people gathered who expressed their readiness to take dynamic measures.
Watch footage from last night's protest event:
Those gathered were informed about the decision of the Department of the Environment to effectively freeze developments that are outside the Protection Zone and outside the Natura network, and which are implemented with respect for the environment of the area.
In the area in recent years there has been an increased interest in investments and no intervention exists or is planned to take place in the Protection Zone.
In his statement, Mayor Sotiras Giorgos Takkas noted that the decision on the Special Ecological Assessment Report was taken in the absence of the Local Authority, which was never invited to appear and express an opinion before the Department of Environment, nor was there any consultation.
The legal adviser of the Municipality, Theodoros Hatzigeorgiou, stated, among other things, that it is justified to make a Supplementary Report of Cumulative Effects from existing, proposed and future projects "Agia Thekla - Liopetri", as was done in other areas. He added that the development coefficients provided for by the Local Plan and not only by the Town Planning Zone should be respected.
The common finding of those who took the floor was the need to take dynamic reaction measures as well as legal measures to overturn this specific, unjust as it was characterized, decision which threatens to put a gravestone on the development of the wider region.
Present MPs agreed to register the specific issue for discussion in the parliamentary tourism committee as a matter of tourism development only.
During the final process, it was decided how to proceed with the establishment of a Coordinating Committee in order to achieve Equitable Tourism Development, which was authorized to proceed with taking dynamic measures.
The "methodology" of the Department of Environment
Actions and decisions of competent government agencies and the state itself are condemning the tourist area of Sotiras to wither, since because of them it is impossible to utilize the Tourist Zone of the Municipality, according to a related announcement. Specific decisions, which were taken in closed offices and in the absence of the Municipality, now create insurmountable obstacles for legitimate sustainable tourism developments to proceed, and in particular the construction of hotels. In the previous period, through the intensive efforts of the Local Authority, it was possible to attract investors who showed a serious interest in financing tourist developments in the area, with significant benefits for the local community and for the local economy. But efforts which are now being questioned.
Reason, the Special Ecological Assessment (EIA) for the area prepared by the Department of Environment with the participation of an ad hoc Committee, without the knowledge of the Municipality and without receiving the public opinion provided for by law as of decisive importance for its preparation. But also previously the determination of the Special Protection Zone (ZEP) for the area by a Special Environment Committee, was done without the knowledge of the Municipality and/or its representation, depriving it of the right to be heard. The cause is further strengthened by significant weaknesses of the approved Local Plan of the Free District of Famagusta.
The EOA stipulates for new developments the strict observance of the development factors of the urban planning zone ONLY, prohibiting the application of the other relevant provisions of the Development Plan. As a result, basic tourism incentives cannot be implemented, such as for enrichment projects, for the recovery of development activity, for renewable energy sources (RES), for integrated residential development, etc., but neither can increased outdoor spaces with the most per height of its construction, making any tourist development, and especially the hotel one, UNSUSTAINABLE.
The EOA also for the tourist developments that are erected, even if a planning application has previously been submitted for them and a planning permit is expected to be secured, as for example Sun City, while it provides the possibility of granting a planning permit with compensatory measures to protect the area, however the Department of Environment subsequently interprets the EOA incorrectly and forces the Urban Planning Authority not to grant it. In addition, he refuses to express opinions or give opinions, even if this is permitted and/or required by European and Cypriot legislation.
Especially Sun City is the first hotel in the Municipality that is expected to open. The methodical effort being made not to grant the completely legal license approved by the previous Council of Ministers, based on the incorrect interpretation given by the Department of the Environment, will be the tombstone of the tourism development of the Municipality and will absolutely prevent new investments. The hotel, which will operate around the clock, will employ around 250 people in the area and its operation will also serve the shops, restaurants and other businesses in the area. The Municipality will have significant income for the creation of important projects in the Municipality for the benefit of its citizens, which it has been deprived of for a long time. It is emphasized that along with this specific development, there is a significant number of applications for other hotels pending since 2017 and the Urban Planning Authority cannot decide.
And all these restrictions by the Department of Environment were essentially put in place as a compensatory measure for the approval of the Ayia Napa Marina, which, unlike the developments in the Municipality of Sotiras, is entirely within the ZEP. However, it was approved due to imperative reasons of public interest. The Municipality is in no way against the specific development, which has significant benefits for the place and the region, however it feels wronged since the neighboring area within its municipal limits is condemned to under-development, due to environmental parameters that were set to progress the specific development.
The Council welcomes the preservation and development of large plots in the Council which provides for the Local Plan which was approved in 2020. However with the restrictions set by the Department of the Environment, these cannot be developed with large developments such as hotels, as these become unsustainable.
The government is called upon to take all the necessary measures to solve the problem that the state itself created without an after-the-fact scientific approach.
All citizens of the Municipality of Sotiras as well as all other affected parties are invited to come together to the pan-municipal gathering on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 7:30 p.m., at the Social Benefits Center of the Municipality of Sotiras, to discuss the issue and make the necessary decisions and measures to enable the development of the Tourist Zone of the Municipality to be equal to other areas.
Famagusta.News with information from the Municipality of Sotiras