Cyprus Mail 20 December 2020 - by Bejay Browne
A new restaurant that is under construction on a popular beach in Kato Paphos has environmentalists angrily protesting over both its position and design, following recent storms that saw huge waves batter the building.
Paphos municipality was able to obtain special government permission for the project at Sodap beach and then issued municipality planning permits to themselves to build, according to the head of the Cyprus Green party, MP Charalambous Theopemptou.
“The protection zone on the beach is 100 metres and there is a protocol to follow which has not been done, nor was an environmental impact study undertaken,” Theopemptou told the Cyprus Mail this week.
Concerning the Barcelona Convention and other agreements, (which Cyprus is signed up to), the MP described the protocol which came out of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) as not being met. This is generally considered as the corner stone for the promotion of environmental protection and integration in the Mediterranean.
“Firstly, there should be an environmental impact assessment study and then a public consultation. This is with four parameters, the environment, the economy, society and culture. You have to find out scientifically what the impact would be and then have a public consultation. This didn’t happen,” he said.
“The big issue here is part of the design. When there is a hard vertical surface like here, the wave hits the wall, some water goes up and some down. When the water that was thrown up comes back down the impact is big and it digs up the beach, you can guarantee there will be no sand left, it will erode away,” he warned.
According to scientists, constructive interference creates bigger and therefore stronger waves. This is why, in the long run, solid seawalls are not good for saving property from the ocean, for example, as the end result creates stronger waves that cause even more erosion.
However, a spokesman for the architects responsible, which won the tender for the project, refuted the claims, noting that water recently seen inside the building was from rain and not waves.
“The waves didn’t reach inside, and we carried out an onsite inspection after the storm and everything is fine. The building is not finished yet and the design allows for the environment that it’s in. It will not mean that the beach is destroyed or the sand will disappear,” he said
The Paphos Greens called the project an ‘abomination’, which they say is built a mere 10 metres from the shoreline and called on other environmental groups, local media and the public to be more vocal in their dissent.
The government granted relaxations, violating both the beach protection zone, and the Barcelona Treaty, and came to a decision that defies common sense and the laws of nature, a spokesman for the Paphos Greens said.
A number of state agencies have been unable to stop this environmental crime, he added.
“Why don’t people take action in Paphos as they do in other towns. No-one seems to care past posting a few angry comments on Facebook. They need to take more dynamic action and show they care.”
The recent stormy weather, which was ‘mild’ compared with some winter weather, saw waves reach inside the building, which has yet to have windows fitted, he said.
“Unfortunately when the state succumbs and serves interests and purposes, by making decisions we have results like this one. Etek, the Association of Architects, and others should assume their responsibilities, he said. “Nature finally avenges itself, just look at the images of the flooded restaurant.”
The ‘icing on the cake’, he said, was the demolition by the municipality of infrastructure for bathers and the lifeguard tower, he said.
The first really bad weather will highlight all of the problems of the building, he concluded.
The only way to try to save the beach is to construct an incline so that waves reaching the wall of the restaurant will be absorbed and not hit a vertical surface, instead rising up and down more slowly, said Theopemptou.
“If not, the beach will be lost.”
